The specialty of Witting is Ylistaro’s municipal stone, rhodonite (Ylistaro is now part of the city of Seinäjoki). Rhodonite is also found elsewhere in Finland, but only as small veins or lenses of a few centimetres. However, deposits of comparable quality suitable for cutting and polishing are not known to exist in usable quantities anywhere else. In Witting, the deposit is up to around one metre wide and 3–4 metres high. Rhodonite is a gemstone, and in some contexts it is even classified as a semi-precious stone. It was previously assumed that rhodonite in Witting came from only one mine, but in autumn 2021 a large deposit was also discovered in another mine.
 
The geological history of rhodonite is fascinating. It originates from manganese precipitate deposited on an ancient seabed, which contained a suitable amount of quartz. Around two billion years ago, during a major stage in the development of the bedrock, intense pressure and heat transformed it into rhodonite.
 
The exact time of discovery of the deposit is not known, but it is certain that rhodonite from Witting was used to make a jewellery box for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (1798–1860). The jewellery box was exhibited at the first World Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in London in 1851. According to tradition, even Empress Catherine the Great’s crown contained polished rhodonite from Witting. It is therefore no surprise that Finnish jewellers value rhodonite highly. It is used, among other things, as the stone in the Ylistaro jewellery piece, as it is the municipal stone of the area. Kalevala Koru, as well as countless other jewellers and hobbyists, also use rhodonite as a material.