Suiseki Stone

A traditional Japanese art form shows appreciation for the beauty of nature by carefully selecting stones that represent natural formations like mountains, waterfalls, etc. and display them on hand-made stands that are made for that specific stone.  These stones are called suiseki stones, or “water” stones.

My little suiseki stones follow in this tradition.  I selected these lightly tumbled stones and crafted bases to resemble tiny real-life suiseki.

But my suiseki stones have a secret!

These stones are pretty in natural light and make a lovely addition to a table or bookcase…but shine some black light on them….and they have spots that GLOW like they are lit with fire inside!  These stones and their fluorescent properties are natural.  They are a volcanic material called “sylenite” and the flame stones also contain a mineral called sodalite.  The sodalite is reactive to black light.  These stones glow at their best with a black light (UV) that emits at 365nm and photographs you may see on-line with these stones glowing a vibrant orange/yellow are using this wave of back light (UV).   HOWEVER, UV light emitted any lower than 395nm is considered dangerous to humans and animals.  Because of this the black lights that I offer for dollhouse use only emit at 395-400nm which is considered safe (you still should not stare directly into any black light/UV light!).  These stones STILL do glow at 395nm but look best with a spotlight or close to a black light strip to really see the color.

Photographic items lit with black light is difficult without the proper filters…which I do not have.  The camera I am using picks up a lot of the purple from the light that is not as visible in person.  The item under a spotlight is less “purple” in real life.

Each little suiseki stone works in 1:12 and 1:24 scales and is unique but are roughly the dimensions listed here.  I will pick one out for you!