Brookite (rare)

Item Description

Several years ago, there was a discovery of superb red Brookites in Pakistan. These crystals are among the best in the world for size and color, but like the majority of Brookites in the world, they are so thin, that it would be impossible to facet a gemstone. Of the titanium oxide trimorphs (Anatase, Rutile and Brookite), Anatase is usually the only one seen in faceted stones, and those are incredibly rare on the market. I would say that a faceted Brookite is MUCH rarer than a faceted Anatase, as I've only seen a few in my life. First, you need a crystal that's thick enough to yield a stone, and then if you can find one with color, it's all the more impressive! This particular star has a semi-metallic appearance on the exterior, but when it's backlit, one can see a fiery deep orange interior hue. The stone has a "Trillion" cut, and considering that the material is brittle, it's a small miracle that somebody was able to get a stone even in this size. Now the stone is not completely flawless, but how often does one have the opportunity to purchase a faceted gem of Brookite from any locality that passes light? I've seen polished cabochons from Graves Mountain in Georgia, but they're opaque and not gem quality. This stone is much more impressive in my mind, and in all the years we've been doing gem auctions (over a decade now), I can't remember ever having a single Brookite to offer. If you're a rare stone collector, you cannot afford to miss out on this one. It's the ONLY one we have, so if you want it, now is the time.