Sugilite (rare)

Item Description

Sugilite is a relatively rare gem, and the purple variety (manganese rich) is only found in South Africa. In fact, before 1975 Sugilite was not known in very attractive colors, i.e., brown and yellow. Once the royal purple color material was discovered in South Africa, it really opened up the market for gemstone collectors. Nowadays Sugilite is not seen on the market very much, and it's a shame because the color is amazingly distinctive and intense. The particular stone is an electric glowing purple color, "oval brilliant" cut stone from well known occurrence at the Wessels Mine. Most rare gems are not exceptionally colorful, and this is a great stone to fill a spot in your collection. It should be noted that Sugilite is pronounced with a hard "g" as in gold. It was named after the Japanese petrologist, Ken-ichi Sugi.