Desert Rose
Desert Rose is the name given to rosette formations of the minerals gypsum and barite with sand inclusions. The 'petals' are crystals flattened , fanning open along characteristic gypsum cleavage planes. The rosette crystal habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin.
Desert roses are mineral formations that are found on the surface and are beautiful examples of the natural power of the shaping forces of wind, water and pressure in dry, arid regions. These formations are also called Sand Roses, Rose Rocks, Selenite Roses, Gypsum Roses, and Barite Roses
Desert roses are crystal-like formations and may produce a rose shape, multiple plates adjoining at angles or the formations may look like a cluster of cereal flakes. They can look like flowers that have turned to stone. Native American stories told us that these were rocks carved into flowers by our ancestors to let us know they were here before us. Desert Roses take on the color of the sand because Selenite is a fibrous mineral and fine sand becomes trapped between the fibers as it crystallizes.
Desert roses form out of two minerals. One of those is Barite, which is the heavier of the two. The other is a type of Gypsum called Selenite. Selenite is the more fragile of the two. Gypsum (Selenite) roses usually have better defined, sharper edges than barite roses.
Desert roses are only found in deserts, which is how they got the name. Gypsum Selenite Desert Roses are mostly from the Sahara Middle East Region, Southwest USA and Mexico. The Barite Rose Rocks are more abundant in Oklahoma than anywhere else in the world and are the state rock of Oklahoma. Once these rock formations reach the surface, they are eroded quickly by the forces of wind and water. The quality of the specimen reflects how quickly it was collected. Larger multiple rosette specimens are always in demand and draw much higher prices.
Item # 1DR09189967
Stunning Extra Large Gypsum Selenite Desert Rose Cluster From Mexico
Beautiful XL Cabinet size Selenite Desert Rose cluster from Mexico. It is an amazing display of artistic mixture of small to large rosette formations. This piece shows the golden selenite color with clusters of white frosted tip Selenite bladed rosette crystals.
This specimen measures 7.8 x 6.2 x 5.9" (19.8 x 15.8 x 15 cm) and weighs 63.8 oz or 3.99 lbs (1.81 kg).
Selenite is a hydrous calcium sulphate, meaning it is composed of oxygen, sulfur, hydrogen, calcium, and water. It is a glassy, well-crystallized form of Gypsum. Selenite formations can take on the shape of an hourglass or the familiar "desert rose" shape. This is an excellent specimen for display and study as well as an interesting conversation piece. This piece ships insured with signature required USPS Priority Mail to Continental USA only! This specimen is both heavy and fragile. It cannot be combined with other specimens for shipping.
Selenite Desert Roses from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Dhahran, (Arabic Al-Ẓahrān) is a town in northeastern Saudi Arabia. It is located in the Dammām oil field, just south of the Persian Gulf port of Al-Dammām and near the site of the original discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938. It now serves as the administrative headquarters of Saudi Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company).
A major U.S. Air Force installation (now King ʿAbd al-ʿAziz Base) was built there in 1945 under President Eisenhower, and a number of other U.S. military installations were later established in the area. It was one of the main marshaling and deployment points for U.S. troops during the Persian Gulf War. US forces have not been here since 2003.
We keep this information on our page for educational purposes for our customers. We are always looking for more specimens and they will be listed here when available.
Desert Roses from the Algerian Desert
These natural Desert Rose stones were collected from Algeria Desert in the Oued Souf region, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, which is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. We procured them direct from a mineral dealer in El Oued, Debila, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, North Africa.
Desert Rose is the common name given to rosette formations of the minerals gypsum and barite with poikilotopic sand inclusions. (Poikilotopic [pȯi¦kil•ə¦täp•ik] is a geology term referring to the fabric of a crystalline sedimentary rock in which the component forming crystals are multisized and larger crystals enclose smaller crystals of another mineral. This is also known as poikilocrystallic.) The 'petals' are crystals flattened on the c crystallographic axis, fanning open along characteristic gypsum cleavage planes.
Each desert rose has a different and unique shape. It is impossible to find two desert roses in the world that will have identical shapes. These stones are formed with many geologic and climatic occurrences and changes. These stones can be up to 900 years old as found, and will continue to increase size, if left alone. These stones are really unique and reflect the natural beauty this world creates without any help or interference by mankind.
Item # BDRA11140071
Desert Rose Rock from the Algerian Desert
This is a completely natural formation of a barite Desert Rose rock collected in the Algeria Desert in the Oued Souf region, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. These specimens ere procured from a mineral dealer in El Oued, Debila, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, North Africa. Shipments may often take 2 months or more to reach our shop. We normally will procure several specimens per year for our Desert Rose collectors.
Weighs 8.4oz or 0.52 lb (238g) and measures 4.5 x 3.5 x 1.6 inches (11.4 x 9.0 x 3.6 cm)
CHEROKEE ROSE LEGEND
In the 1800s, ignoring a decision in favor of the Cherokees Indians by the Supreme Court, President Andrew Jackson ordered the removal of the Cherokees and other Indian tribes from their Eastern homelands to be relocated in Oklahoma, a journey later referred to as the "TRAIL OF TEARS". About four thousand brave Cherokee people died on this arduous trip.
Indian folklore states that "God, looking down from heaven, decided to commemorate the courageous Cherokees. As the blood of the braves and the tears of the maidens fell to the ground, they were turned to stones in the shape of a rose." The Rose Rock is found in Oklahoma, the end of the journey.
When the Trail of Tears started in 1838, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.
Source: The Cherokee 1994 Heritage Calendar by Dorothy Sullivan, Memoray Circle Studio, Norman, Ok.
Fun Fact... Old Timers who were Rock Collectors used to call these Barite Rose Rocks "Oklahoma Walnuts"
Item # B-BRR011182702
Exceptional Rare Oklahoma Rose Rock Barite Rose
This is a completely natural Rose Rock Crystal formation with rose formations on both sides of the specimen. This specimen is a combination of barite, quartz sand and hematite that was collected from the world famous Garber sandstone formations in 2012 during the drought when water levels were low. This rare specimen was hand excavated from below surface level and cleaned with water. The area that this was collected in is around the lake Stanley Draper area in Oklahoma city, Oklahoma county, Oklahoma just north of the classic Noble County "Cherokee Rose Rock" locale. Specimens of this quality are difficult to find and have not been collected in decades due to land development and collecting.
This Specimen weighs 3.2oz or 0.2 lb (91g) and measures 2 x 1.6 x 1.5 inches (50 x 41 x 39mm)
Item # 5BRR09180240
Rare Oklahoma Rose Rock
$11.00
This is a completely natural Oklahoma Rose Rock with rose like formations. This specimen is a combination of barite, quartz sand and hematite that was hand excavated from below surface level and cleaned with water. The area that this was collected in is around the lake Stanley Draper area in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma county, Oklahoma just north of the classic Noble County "Cherokee Rose Rock" locale. Specimens are difficult to find due to land development and decades of previous collecting.
This Specimen weighs 6.8oz or 0.43 lb (194g) and measures 2.9 x 1.9 x 1.7 inches (7.4 x 4.8 x 4.4cm)
Item # 7BRR09180240
Rare Oklahoma Rose Rock
$39.00
This is a completely natural Oklahoma Rose Rock with rose like formations. This specimen is a combination of barite, quartz sand and hematite that was hand excavated from below surface level and cleaned with water. The area that this was collected in is around the lake Stanley Draper area in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma county, Oklahoma just north of the classic Noble County "Cherokee Rose Rock" locale. Specimens are difficult to find due to land development and decades of previous collecting.
This Specimen weighs 16oz or 1 lb (455g) and measures 3.3 x 3.1 x 2.5 inches (8.4 x 7.9 x 6.4cm)
Item # 8BRR09180240
Rare Oklahoma Rose Rock
$18.00
This is a completely natural Oklahoma Rose Rock with rose like formations. This specimen is a combination of barite, quartz sand and hematite that was hand excavated from below surface level and cleaned with water. The area that this was collected in is around the lake Stanley Draper area in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma county, Oklahoma just north of the classic Noble County "Cherokee Rose Rock" locale. Specimens are difficult to find due to land development and decades of previous collecting.
This Specimen weighs 6.2oz or 0.39 lb (178g) and measures 3.2 x 2.4 x 1.4 inches (8.2 x 6.3 x 3.5cm)
Western Sahara Desert of Morroco
The Desert Rose is also known as Sand Rose or Rose de Sable. These Desert Roses are gypsum crystals that grow from mineral rich ground water beneath the surface of the desert sand. They are from the Western Sahara Desert of southwestern Morocco. The sands in Algeria are light whitish-tan but the sands in the Western Sahara are an orangish-brown. The desert rose color is determined by the color of the surrounding sands which they form in.
Item # 1MSDR04191041
Selenite Desert Rose from Morocco
This is a selenite desert rose from Morocco in the western Sahara Desert.
Specimen weighs 1.8 oz or 0.11 lb (53g) and measures 2.43 x 1.44 x 1.48" (61 x 37 x 38mm)
Desert Roses from Peru
These amazing pieces are very rare collector specimens of Desert Rose Selenite from the Paracas Desert in Ica Department, Perú. These special pieces are rare deep green to grey display specimens of Paracas Desert Rose Selenites. Ica is a region (formerly known as a department) in Peru. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the Lima Region on the north; the Huancavelica and Ayacucho regions on the east; and the Arequipa Region on the south. Its capital is the city of Ica. The Paracas National Reserve was created in 1975 and is located in Ica, Peru and consists of the Paracas Peninsula, coastal areas and tropical desert extending to the south slightly past Punta Caimán. Removing specimens from this area has been prohibited since the National Reserve was established. We were lucky to find a mineral dealer who had these specimens collected in the 1960’s. We keep this information on our page for educational purposes for our customers. We are always looking for more specimens and they will be listed here when available.
Item # DRM01170001
Selenite Desert Rose from Mexico
This is a very nice natural formation of a Selenite Desert Rose collected in the Mexican Desert in the 1980's. This specimens blades show the typical formation patterns from this classic Selenite Rose location.
This Specimen weighs 3.3 oz or 0.2 lb (95g) and measures 3 x 2.8 x 2.6 inches (7.8 x 7.3 x 6.6cm)