Chrysanthemum Stone from China

A chrysanthemum stone from Guilin, South China. On the polished cut surface, bright radial mineral aggregates appear like blossoming chrysanthemum flowers against the dark limestone background.

Chrysanthemum stone is a limestone with embedded star-shaped mineral aggregates of celestite or andalusite, which resemble chrysanthemum blossoms in the dark matrix. The concretions formed in shallow marine sediments during the Permian period (approx. 250 million years ago) under specific pressure-temperature conditions.

The deposits in Guilin (Guangxi Province) and Liuyang (Hunan) provide the highest quality material worldwide. In Chinese tradition, the stone is one of the four classic collector's stones and has adorned scholars' studies since the Ming Dynasty.

The polished cut surface reveals the flower structure: bright radial aggregates against a dark limestone background with high optical contrast.

A Chinese collector's item with documented Guilin provenance and art historical tradition as a scholar's stone.