Diaspore (rare color)

Item Description

Diaspore is a fairly simple mineral in terms of its chemistry, but you don't see many good crystallized examples from anywhere. A lot of people are familiar with the famous Turkish Diaspore crystals, which are typically a sandy color, and can show a color shift with greenish to pinkish overtones. Purple Diaspore however is quite rare and although it's been reported from places like the Saranovskoye Mine in Russia, and in the Saga Quarry in Norway, these crystals from Myanmar are unique and really attractive. Here we have a good example of this material which was mined in 2012. There are a few aspects of the piece that make it stand out from a typical Diaspore crystal. Obviously the eye-catching reddish-purple hue is the first thing that one notices, but the crystal is oddly tabular, which is not a common habit for the species. Additionally, the crystal is actually gemmy, which is not common for Diaspore crystals outside of Turkey. Also, these crystals from Myanmar will show a slight color shift similar to those from Turkey, but due to their thin nature, it's not easy to see. The piece shows good luster on one of the prism faces, but it's not complete all the way around, so please keep this in mind. If you're a collector of gem crystals, or a fan of unusual rarities in, this is a cool piece to add to your collection. We haven't seen many of them on the market, so don't miss out if you didn't get one a few years ago.