Triphylite

Item Description

Triphylite gets its name from the Greek, words "tria"= three, plus "phylon"= family, because it was thought to contain three cations (Fe, Li, Mg). There have been crystals of Triphylite found in South Dakota up to 6 feet long !! Most of those crystals are opaque and wouldn't be well suited for cutting gems. Brazil is one of the few places that produces gem quality Triphylite and this stone is a very attractive representation. It is very slightly included and has a very pleasing almost dichroic appearance as it has a greenish color in one direction, but shows hints of a reddish orange in another direction (similar to Andalusite). The stone has a "round brilliant" cut. A cool rare gem to add to any collection.