Desert rose

A desert rose is a cluster of platy crystals that looks like a rose blossom and grows in arid, sandy settings, trapping grains of sand as it forms. They are made of either gypsum or baryte; this page takes the gypsum rose as its basis. It is sand-coloured, taking a rusty tone where iron oxide is present. It is sold as a souvenir; the baryte roses of Oklahoma are the state's official rock.

Souvenirs and ornaments: In the Sahara, for example around the Chott el Djerid salt lake in Tunisia, local people extract desert roses and sell them to tourists, which gives the area a sustainable income. Collecting: Regular, sound, large clusters are sought by mineral collectors. Inspiration: The building of the National Museum of Qatar was designed inspired by the desert rose.

It has a hardness of 1.5–2 on the Mohs scale. It is soft enough to scratch with a fingernail. Its specific gravity is 2.31–2.33 g/cm³.

Its best-known localities: Chott el Djerid, Tozeur, Tunisia; Ghadames, Libya; Abqaiq, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia; Noble, Oklahoma, USA; Ahumada Playa, Chihuahua, Mexico.

It is a rose-shaped cluster: grains of sand sit between the flat, plate-like “petals” and on their surface. Its size runs from pea-sized to about 10 cm. A gypsum rose is soft, scratched by a fingernail (hardness 1.5–2) and light; the edges of its petals are usually sharper and better defined than those of a baryte rose. The ID card on this page is for the gypsum rose. A baryte rose is harder (hardness 3–3.5), is not scratched by a fingernail and is much heavier (specific gravity about 4.5); it feels distinctly heavy in the hand compared with a gypsum rose of the same size. Flame-whitened edges: the edges of some gypsum roses from Chihuahua are reported to be heated with a torch to whiten them and hide damage; the heat drives off the gypsum's water, so the edges turn white. In an untreated gypsum rose the edges are colourless or sand-coloured.

On the “street to diamond” value ladder it sits on step 3 of nine: Building and industrial stone. The value of a desert rose depends on a regular, complete rose shape, the size of the cluster, the soundness and sharp edges of the “petals”, the colour of the sand (sand, beige or rusty tones) and freedom from damage. Because the petals are thin and brittle, large sound clusters are scarce. Whether it is gypsum or baryte and where it comes from (the Sahara, Oklahoma and so on) also matter to collectors; pieces whose edges have been whitened with a flame or repaired have lost their natural look.

Some news websites in Türkiye treat the desert rose as the same as selenite and also call it “desert stone”; these articles claim that it reduces stress, anxiety and worry, gives peace, clears the mind in meditation and yoga, and drives away negative energy and gives positive energy. The same articles say that keeping a desert rose at home brings abundance and blessing, strengthens bones, eases menstrual cramps and back pain, and improves sleep and skin. There is no scientific evidence that a desert rose reduces stress, gives energy, or affects bones or pain; lasting pain and menstrual cramps call for a doctor. In these articles the desert rose is treated as selenite, whereas a desert rose is a cluster of crystals of either gypsum or baryte with sand in it. A gypsum rose dissolves slowly in water, so it should not be left soaking. This section reports beliefs; it is not health information. There is no scientific evidence for these claims and no stone replaces medical treatment.