The Grit Beneath the Glamour: How Pietersite is Mined and Mastered

A Race Against Time Beneath the Namibian Earth

The mining of Pietersite is nothing short of a feat of endurance. Deep beneath Namibia’s rugged terrain, operations run at 600 meters below ground, where temperatures exceed 40°C (104°F) year-round. These extreme conditions are intensified by the fact that Pietersite veins exist only within narrow fault zones, making accessibility both dangerous and unpredictable.

Miners must traverse a 3-kilometer-long narrow tunnel—a journey that’s both physically grueling and mentally taxing—before reaching the mineral-rich strata. Even then, success is rare: only 3% of the blasted raw stones pass the initial screening. The rest? Discarded as unusable debris.

Pietersite’s beauty is forged through extreme geological and human pressure. Every polished stone is a triumph against nature’s odds.

Hythe's Commitment to Craftsmanship

At Hythe, we believe the rarity of Pietersite deserves craftsmanship that honors its origin. That’s why we refuse chemical polishing—a shortcut commonly used in mass production. Instead, every bead in our collection is hand-sanded through 27 stages of fine polishing.

This meticulous process takes more than 14 days per bead, ensuring that the stone’s natural silky texture and unique storm pattern are preserved without compromise.