Fairy Stones are Staurolite crystals (especially Staurolite pseudomorph) are found in only a few places around the world. Besides Virginia, which has the most abundance of them, they can also be found in Georgia, New Mexico, Brazil, and Switzerland.

Legend of the Fairy Stones*

Hundreds of years before Pocahontas father, Chief Powhatan, reined over the land that is now Virginia, fairies dance and played around springs of water with naiads and wood nymphs. One day an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away and brought news of the death of Christ. When the fairies heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept and as their tears fell upon the ground, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses.

Historic superstitions held that possessing one of these rare stones would protect its owner from illness, accidents, and even ward off a witch’s curse.

And so goes the legend of how these unique mineral formations came to be. In truth, they are brown staurolite, a combination of silica, iron, and aluminum. Together these minerals crystallize in twin form creating a cross-shaped formation.

They are found only in rocks that have been subject to great heat and pressure such as was found millions of years ago in the geological history of the formation of the Allegheny Mountains.

While various formations of fairy stones may be found around the world, nowhere are they more perfectly cross-shaped or abundant than in the area in and around Virginia’s Fairy Stone State Park near the town of Bassett.