FREE: Oklahoma Rose Rock!

The listing, Oklahoma Rose Rock! has ended.

Gem and mineral collectors around the world treasure the barite rose rock because its shape is a natural phenomenon. According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, rose rocks – the reddish-brown sandy crystals of barite that resemble a rose in full bloom – are more abundant in Oklahoma than anywhere else in the world. In 1968, the rose rock was named the official state rock – marking its place as an Oklahoma symbol.


Decades ago, historians uncovered legends and interesting folklore about the origin of the rose rock. The Stines recorded one of the Native American legends surrounding the rose rock, which was handed down by E.L. Gilmore, a Cherokee storyteller.

According to Gilmore, in the 1800s – despite a decision in favor of the Cherokees by the Supreme Court – President Andrew Jackson ordered the removal of the Cherokees and other Indian tribes from their eastern homelands to Oklahoma, a journey later referred to as the Trail of Tears. About 4,000 people died on that journey, and Native American 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.
This rose rock is flat on the bottom, well shaped on the top. Found in Lake Stanley Draper washed ashore.