Charoite (rare faceted stone)

Item Description

Charoite is a rare and complex inosilicate mineral, that first reported from near the Chara River in Eastern Siberia, Russia, which is where the species gets its name. I can't recall seeing any actual crystallized examples, but the durability and beautiful color of the material make it a very desirable and valued stone in the lapidary world. The vivid purple color seen in the material is due to manganese content, while the manganese deficient Charoite will have more of a grey-white hue. These stones are almost always opaque, but the color is what draws collectors. This material is relatively new to the market as it was only introduced to the west in 1978. Typically, Charoite has multicolor banding and swirling which mixes purple and white streaks, but this stone is amazing uniform in color, which is incredibly rare for Charoite in my experience. It's also FACETED, which is rare in my experience, as most Charoites are typically polished into cabochon. The stone is actually not completely opaque, as the thin edges actually pass light when the stone is backlit. A fine, rare and colorful gem for any collection.
From the collection of Jim Houran. The stone comes with a paper from The Gem Trader verifying its authenticity.