Material reference

Unakite · Paglago nang Buo

Scientific identity, documented history, and community contexts are presented with sources. TÁWID’s contemporary design interpretation is identified separately.

Material identity

Unakite is a rock, not a single mineral. Its characteristic appearance combines green epidote, pink feldspar and quartz. Florida State University describes it as epidotized granite: a granitic material whose mineral assemblage has been altered. A polished surface exposes differently coloured constituents within one rock, so the pattern is a useful way to see the distinction between a rock and the minerals that compose it. [1]

Documented historical context

Unakite has a documented place in both ornamental use and scientific collecting. Florida State University’s microscopy gallery describes its use in beads, jewellery, paperweights and other polished objects. The same patterned rock can therefore be encountered as a wearable material or as a specimen for examining mineral relationships.

A specific example is Smithsonian specimen NMNH 111123-1399 from Virginia, listed in its petrographic reference and E. A. Larsen collections. The record describes a thin-section preparation and lists associated minerals including epidote, orthoclase, plagioclase and quartz. A thin section makes the rock available for a different kind of observation from a polished bead: the object is prepared to investigate its components.

The idea of altered granite also gives unakite a geological history. Its present assemblage records change from an earlier material, although a date or exact formation sequence for an individual bead cannot be read from colour alone. TÁWID’s Paglago nang Buo draws a contemporary comparison with development while retaining valued connections. It is inspired by the rock’s visible combination of constituents, rather than presented as an inherited Philippine meaning. [1] [2]

TÁWID’s contemporary interpretation

TÁWID uses Paglago nang Buo to reflect on personal development while retaining valued relationships and memories.

Material note

Describe the contrasting minerals as constituent parts of a rock. A named source, historical owner or community application can be added when it is documented, but the rock’s pattern alone does not supply those details.

References

1. Florida State University, Molecular Expressions, “Unakite”
2. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, “Unakite,” NMNH 111123-1399, petrographic reference collection

How to read the material guide · Ask about a bracelet