Minnesota Pipestone 6.48 Lbs Rough Catlinite Beads Pipes Carving 5" x 7" x 1.5"

Description

This piece of authentic Minnesota Pipestone measures approx 5" - 5 3/8" inches x 1 1/2 - 1 7/8 inches x 7 inches, and weighs 6.48 pounds.
The photos are taken while wet.
Pipestone has a hardness of 2-4, which makes it an easy stone to carve.
"Stone pipes have been in use on the North American continent since around 1,500 B.C. and archaeological evidence suggests that the pipestone quarries of Pipestone National Monument have been in use for 3,000 years. Carvers prize this durable yet relatively soft stone, which ranges in color from mottled pink to brick red. Though these grounds are not the only source of pipestone on the North American continent, by all accounts this location came to be the preferred source of pipestone among the Plains tribes because of the quality of the stone. Oral tradition tells us that the site was used by people of all tribes, and that all tribes - even enemies - laid down their arms before quarrying side by side. Archaeological evidence shows many different tribes quarried here. By 1700, the Dakota Sioux were the dominant presence at the pipestone quarries.
Ceremonial smoking marked the activities of the Plains people: rallying forces for warfare, trading goods, rituals, and ceremonies. Bowls, stems, and tobacco were stored in animal-skin pouches or in bundles with other sacred objects. Ashes were disposed of only in special places. Pipes were often valued possessions buried with the dead.
There were as many variations in pipe design as there were carvers. By the time George Catlin arrived to the pipestone quarries in 1836, the simple tubes of earlier times had developed into elbow and disk forms, as well as elaborate animal and human effigies. The Pawnee and Sioux were master effigy carvers. A popular pipe form was the T-shaped calumet. Calumets became widely known as "peace pipes" because they were the pipes whites usually encountered at treaty ceremonies, even though pipes had other important uses." www.nps.gov
We have been selling rough rock and slabs in Quartzsite, Arizona for over 20 years.
Thanks for looking!