Striped flint

Striped flint is also called the stone of optimism. The flint resembles flowing water.

Rubbing two flints against each other triggers fire. The substances which constitute striped flint are called opal and chalcedony. This stone has got the three features important for jewelers: decorativeness, durability and uniqueness. It is present in one place only: near Sandomierz, in the central Poland, and it has a form of round large stones. Striped flint was used in the neolithic period in production of magic axes.




Striped Flint Mining

The first mines where striped flint was found were placed in Krzemionki in the 4th age B.C.The cavities were shallow 55-120 cm high so you can easily imagine how hard was the work. Miners used to work kneeling or half-lying, the mine was lit by torches and they were aired only by starting a fire at an outlet of the mine and a mine gallery, which forced air to flow. The works were done with stone pickaxes or horns. The stones were taken outside in wicker baskets hanging and moving on special lines. The striped flint was cut and processed after the excavation. The axes found in the past have no signs of work on them which suggests that their purpose was strictly spiritual. Striped flint was replaced by bronze in the first half of II millennium B.C.

The second discovery of Striped Flint
Cezary Lutowicz, a goldsmith from Sandomierz, started to use striped flint in jewelry in 1972. He was the first one who used this stone in jewelry we can now see in Polish and Vatican museums.

Striped flint properties:

- it improves the energy
- strengthens the immunity system
- removes tiredness and tension
- calms down
- improves strength
- releives from signs of overworking
- removes toxins from the organism
- improves skin condition

Striped Flint - a Polish diamond
Cezary Lutowicz has started a campaign which fights for acknowledging striped flint as our national good. Although it is treated as an ordinary stone these days we should remember that its reservoirs are not everlasting. Striped flint is found only in Poland so we should take care of it properly and keep in mind that amber can be found in the other Baltic countries.