Friedelite (very rare)

Item Description

There are over 400 species found in the Franklin Mining District in New Jersey, but there are only a few that are worthy to yield faceted stones. Some of the better known faceted gems from Franklin are Willemite, Zincite and Friedelite. Most species from Franklin are either too tiny, too devoid of color or too freaking rare to even consider cutting into gems. Friedelite is a cool manganese phyllosilicate and Franklin is probably the only area in the world to yield gemmy enough crystals for faceting. Keep in mind that a good amount of the Friedelite from Franklin isn't close to being gem quality, only a small percentage of what was found was suitable for faceting. This stone has a very pleasing characteristic reddish-orange hue and a translucent internal appearance. It's not GEM quality, but it's still a fine quality stone of this rare material. I think every rare gem collection needs a good Frankin Friedelite in it, and a stone like this with such an attractive color would make a great addition.