Lava stone bracelet A

A bracelet of black lava stone beads on elastic.

• Bead diameters: 4, 6, 8 or 10 mm
• Bracelet length: 18–19 cm
• Origin: China
• Elastic mount

What it actually is, and what it is genuinely useful for

Lava stone is basalt — cooled volcanic rock, full of tiny bubbles left by gas escaping as the lava solidified. That porosity is the whole point: it makes the beads unusually light for their size, matt black rather than glossy, and absorbent.

That last property gives lava bead bracelets a real, practical use that most decorative stones do not have: they hold a drop of essential oil and release the scent slowly over hours. A lava bracelet is, in effect, a wearable diffuser.

How to use it with essential oils — and one safety point

Put one drop onto one or two beads on the outer face of the bracelet, not all round and not on the side against your skin. Let it soak in for a minute before wearing.

The safety point: essential oils should not sit undiluted against skin for hours. That is exactly the pattern — repeated, prolonged contact with the same patch of skin — that sensitises people to oils they previously enjoyed. Keeping the oil on the outward-facing beads solves it entirely. And avoid citrus oils, most of which are phototoxic, on anything worn on the wrist in daylight.

Basalt is Mohs 5 to 6 and porous. It absorbs oils permanently, so a bracelet used with strong oils will eventually carry a background scent of everything it has ever had on it.

No health claim for any mineral or essential oil is authorised or supported by evidence, and none should replace medical care.