ARKANSAS STONE

Novaculite, also called Arkansas Stone, is a microcrystalline to cryptocrystalline rock type that consists of silica in the form of chert or flint. It is commonly white to grey or black in color, with a specific gravity that ranges from 2.2 to 2.5. It is used in the production of sharpening stones.

Novaculite is a rock that is made of quartz crystals. Quartz is a mineral made of the compound Silicon Dioxide. There can be other impurities in the quartz, but the quartz crystals must contain 99% Silicon Dioxide to be used for sharpening stones.

These Stones are a natural sharpening stone mined only in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. They are quarried by blasting and the use of diamond saws. They are then cut into rectangular shaped whetstones to be used for sharpening knives and tools.

Natural Arkansas Stones vary in price from the very economical Soft Arkansas to the more expensive Hard Black and Translucent Arkansas Stones. All oil stones are relatively hard, so the stones rarely require flattening. The main disadvantage of the oil stone is its slower cutting rate.

USES

They are cut into rectangular shaped whetstones and then used for sharpening knives and tools.

MOHS HARDNESS

7

WHERE TO FIND

Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas.

DIAGNOSTIC PROPERTIES

It is extremely fine-grained, uniform, has a waxy luster, and is typically white or light gray.