Sillimanite (good sized stone)

Item Description

The famous quote from John Sinkankas was "gems are minerals after all". In our continued efforts to promote the importance of gemstones for ALL collectors, we want to give mineral collectors a chance at a rare cut stone that complements a choice mineral specimen from a classic locality. Some of the finest mineral collections in the world are accompanied by gemstones that either complete a "rough and cut" set for certain specimens, or simply show the beauty of particular species when they are faceted. We are offering this stone as an opportunity for collectors to expand their horizons and purchase gemstones that would supplement crystallized specimens in their collections. I think it is important for collectors to know that faceted stones can expand one's interests in minerals and can add a certain reverence to the hobby of collecting minerals. Sillimanite is actually trimorphous with Kyanite and Andalusite which means that they have the same chemistry, but different crystal habits create different minerals, just like Brookite, Anatase and Rutile. Sillimanite is sometimes called "Fibrolite" because of the fibrous nature of the material, but this stone is different from most Sillimanite on the market. This is actually pretty rare material, and one of the few I've seen in this clarity. This "Oval" cut gem has a VERY light yellowish color, and very very slight inclusions. I don't get many of these stones, and considering that the large majority of the Sillimanite in the world is used for cat's eyes, clean material is very difficult to find.