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UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Unspecified-material term · Trade name: material identity unverified · Actual material to be verified
Red Wood-Grain Stone
A non-standard trade name based on appearance, for beads with a red to pink wood-grain pattern; the mineral species cannot be determined from this name. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Red Wood-Grain Stone forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- Caring for and wearing Red Wood-Grain StoneDurability indicators and wearing advice
- Mohs hardness of Red Wood-Grain StoneEach value with its source and check date
- Red Wood-Grain Stone in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Name origin and history of Red Wood-Grain StoneWhere the name comes from
- Listing and disclosing Red Wood-Grain StoneThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
'Red wood-grain stone' is a descriptive commercial/trade name, not an independent mineral species nor a mineralogical name. The cited sources do not support a specific attribution of its underlying material: the name may denote some bead material with a red/pink wood-grain pattern, but what that material is remains unconfirmed and is not asserted here. By way of reference, if a banded cryptocrystalline siliceous material (agate-type) showed a wood-grain texture, that texture could be explained by the banding formed as voids are cyclically filled from rim to centre by silica-rich fluids: the shape and width of the zones depend on silica concentration and on temperature, pressure and influx timing, and iron-compound enrichment can render zones red. This states only the mechanism by which banded siliceous material can yield such a texture; it does NOT constitute a determination that Red Wood-Grain Stone (material unverified trade name) is agate/chalcedony.
Scope: Used only to explain that 'red wood-grain stone' is a non-standard appearance-based trade name whose underlying material is undetermined; the general mechanism by which banded siliceous materials produce a wood-grain texture is given for reference only, not as a basis for determining the material.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Where it forms
Material undetermined; no specific geological environment applies
Sources G&G Fall 2013
(Reference only) banded siliceous material can form in cyclically filled volcanic cavities
Sources G&G Fall 2013
How it forms, step by step
Establish that Red Wood-Grain Stone (material unverified trade name) is a non-standard descriptive trade name, not a mineral species.
The cited sources are insufficient to determine its underlying material, so no attribution is made.
(Reference) if the material were banded cryptocrystalline silica, its wood-grain texture could be explained by rim-to-centre cyclical cavity fill banding.
Link to appearance
The name describes an appearance feature: a red/pink wood-grain texture; appearance can describe a phenomenon but cannot by itself prove material identity.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Timescale
The sources give no timescale for the material this name denotes (material undetermined).
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Supporting findings
(Reference) banding in cryptocrystalline siliceous material (agate-type) can form as voids are cyclically filled from rim to centre by silica-rich fluids; zone shape and width depend on silica concentration and on temperature, pressure and influx timing, and iron-compound enrichment makes zones red.
Evidence grade AScope: States only the banding mechanism; it is NOT a determination that Red Wood-Grain Stone (material unverified trade name) is agate/chalcedony.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the appearance trade name "red wood-grain stone" itself is not given in the cited sources. The etymology below belongs to the underlying mineral quartz: its name is of obscure origin in the Middle Ages, first applied to gangue in Saxony, Germany. This etymology belongs to the underlying mineral, not to the name "red wood-grain stone" itself.
Evidence grade BScope: The etymology explains only the origin of the name; it does not establish the material's composition, locality, naturalness, or treatment.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Other research findings
'Red wood-grain stone' is a descriptive commercial/trade name, not an independent mineral species or mineralogical name; the cited sources do not support a specific attribution of its material.
Evidence grade CScope: States the name's status and undetermined material; does not presume agate, chalcedony or any other material.
A description of appearance (a red/pink wood-grain texture) describes a phenomenon but cannot by itself prove material identity.
Evidence grade CScope: A general methodological statement; not about any specific specimen.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- Red Wood-Grain Stone (material unverified trade name) is a non-standard commercial/trade name with no authoritative definition in the cited sources; its underlying material is undetermined.
- This record makes no material attribution; the banding mechanism is reference only and is not a determination.
- The GB/T full texts are not obtainable; no clause text was verified and no classification table was invented.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Red wood-grain stone (replace with the specific material name once tested)
GB/T 16552—2017 5.1.1 c)
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Red Wood-Grain Stone (material unverified trade name)" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name. Actual material is unverified.
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Red wood-grain stone (replace with the specific material name once tested)" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
- Actual material is unverified.
- Suggested listing name
- Red wood-grain stone (replace with the specific material name once tested)
Care and wear
No institutional care guidance is registered for this material yet; below are its durability indicators and general guidance.
Durability and wearing
Numbers in curly braces, such as {111}, are crystallographic face symbols (Miller indices): each marks a set of crystal faces or cleavage planes. They are reproduced as written in the cited source.
Mohs hardness
7
Toughness
tough when massive
Cleavage
Cleavage very rarely observable; poor on {1011}, {0111}, {1010} and others; rhombohedral parting
Daily wear
Hardness 7 resists scratching by ordinary metal and grit, and massive material has good toughness, so it is relatively durable for daily wear; however a hard impact can still chip it, and sudden temperature changes should be avoided to prevent cracking.
Care
Warm water with mild soap and a soft brush suffices; rinse and dry with a soft cloth. For dyed, resin-impregnated or fractured treated material, avoid ultrasonic/steam cleaning and acid washes, and avoid prolonged heat or sunlight.
General guidance: LumaLark's general guidance inferred from the material's properties (hardness, toughness, cleavage); not text from the cited source, and not a guarantee for any specific piece.
Scope: This field describes the material's general properties and is not a finished-product durability promise; it gives no warranty of any specific piece's durability or safety, and the durability of treated (filled, dyed, coated) or composite/assembled material must be assessed separately.
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Red Wood-Grain Stone, the name register records "Red wood-grain stone", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded.
Trade and mineralogical namesRed Wood-Grain Stone is a trade name whose material identity is undetermined, an undetermined material term. Standard and listing namesThe name itself is not listed in the original GB/T 16552—2017, and the basic name must be determined by identification. The suggested listing name is Red Wood-Grain Stone (switch to the specific material name after testing). Names in four languagesNames by language: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English Red Wood-Grain Stone (trade name, material unverified), and a Japanese form that is a Chinese market name with undetermined material; Japan's GSJ wording for it is not yet verified by this site. Institution usageOn authority wording, among GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A, the FTC and CIBJO texts on file have no wording for this name (checked), and GIA and Gem-A wording is unchecked; the qualifier stripped from the title name for the FTC and CIBJO is trade name, material unverified, and the same qualifier is stripped for GIA and Gem-A, all coming from the entry's own English name; bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position. Trade and mineralogical namesThe market name Red wood-grain stone is a descriptive placeholder; the mineralogical name is a non-standard appearance-based trade name describing bead material with a red/pink wood-grain pattern.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (1) | ||||
| Red wood-grain stoneEnglish | market name | matched only once the condition is confirmed | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 「紅木紋石」材質未同定の中国市場名 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- GB/T naming counterpart (this name is not in the standard)
- basic name to be determined by testing (GB/T 16552—2017 §5.1.1 c))
- Mineralogical name
- Non-standard appearance trade name for a red/pink wood-grain patterned bead material
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 红木纹石
- 繁體中文
- 紅木紋石
- English
- Red Wood-Grain Stone (material unverified trade name)
- 日本語
- 「紅木紋石」材質未同定の中国市場名
Qualifiers stripped from the headline name
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Material identity unspecified
- Material domain
- Unspecified-material term
- Browsing family
- Bead-form and unidentified trade terms
- Identity tier
- Trade name: material identity unverified
- Mineral chemical class
- Mixed / composition-dependent
- Construction or treatment status
- Actual material to be verified
What it is and how it's identified
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
The material behind this trade name is unconfirmed, so no single material's facts are attached. “Red wood-grain stone” is named for its red, wood-grain pattern and appears in none of the sources consulted. Where a standard mentions a wood grain, it is a feature seen under magnification in materials such as silicified wood, which says nothing about what this bead material is. The name also does not appear in the gemmological journals consulted (Journal of Gems & Gemmology, Mineralogy and Petrology, Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica) or in GIA material (Gems & Gemology and Lab Notes); the wood-grain names online come from bead sellers and stone-trade sites and refer to different materials (jasper, marble and others), so they are not used.
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Bead-form and unidentified trade terms | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The names, standards basis and disclosure requirements in the Red Wood-Grain Stone entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.