Ruyuan Colored Stones

Ruyuan Colored Stones

Ruyuan Colored Stones are a protected geographical indication product.

　　Ruyuan Colored Stones are produced in the Yao Mountains within Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Guangdong Province. With their ever-changing, dazzling colors and poetic, picturesque patterns, these stones have become a radiant gem in the global stone appreciation community. Legend has it that these unique stones are the very “sky-repairing stones” used by the goddess Nüwa to mend the heavens. She used a unique type of colorful stone to patch up the sky, but in the process, one piece was accidentally dropped and landed in the Yao Mountains of Ruyuan. At that moment, multicolored clouds appeared across the sky. Hence, the colored stones from Ruyuan today feature vibrant hues reminiscent of rainbow-hued clouds and iridescent rainbows. Each stone is like a painting—some resemble landscapes, others flowers and birds, or even human figures—offering boundless room for imagination. Each stone is also like a poem, with some describing scenery, others expressing emotions, some concrete, others abstract. The richly colored ones resemble Western oil paintings, while the more muted ones evoke traditional Chinese ink wash art. Truly, they are miraculous, one-of-a-kind masterpieces that leave collectors and enthusiasts in awe of nature’s extraordinary craftsmanship.

　　Ruyuan Colored Stones combine a variety of naturally occurring colors, exhibiting a richness and diversity unmatched by any other ornamental stone. These stones originate from parent rocks formed through the blending of various metal-ion-rich lavas, which gradually cooled under high temperature and pressure to form mudstone. Through tectonic movements and metamorphic processes, the original rock underwent silicification during low-grade metamorphism, resulting in a hardness ranging from 3 to 6 on the Mohs scale, with some reaching 7. The rocks possess a smooth, jade-like texture, which is why they were once also called Ruyuan Colored Jade Stones.

　　According to radiation emission measurements conducted by the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Geological and Mineral Resources, Ruyuan Colored Stones have an Ira < 0.2 (internal exposure index) and Ir < 0.3 (external exposure index), both well below the safety threshold of 1. This makes them highly eco-friendly and safe for collection and appreciation.

　　The protected geographical indication area for Ruyuan Colored Stones covers the entire administrative region of Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Guangdong Province.