Vesuvianite (var: Californite) (ex Jim Houran Collection)

Item Description

This material is a variety of Vesuvianite, sometimes referred to as "California Jade". The name for this stone is actually pretty old, and dates back to the days of noted gemologist George Kunz who first described the material. At the time, he thought it was a new form of Jade, but Vesuvianite is often confused for other minerals. This attractive "Trillion" cut stone is a very good quality gem, with excellent translucency, and amazingly bright saturated color. The rough from which the stone was cut was mined in the 1980s and faceted at Coast to Coast Rare Gems for Herb Obodda. The stone resided in Herb's collection until it was purchased by Brett Kosnar of Kosnar Gem Co., who kept it in his personal collection until it came to Jim Houran. From the collection of Dr. James "Jim" Houran, noted thumbnail mineral collector, gemstone collector and a speaker at our annual Dallas Mineral Symposium. Jim is the Managing Director of AETHOS Consulting Group. He's a 25-year veteran in applied psychological research and a published expert on peak performance, online testing and interpersonal and organizational compatibility. He has authored over 150 articles, and his award-winning work has been profiled by a myriad of media outlets and programs including the Discovery Channel, A&E, BBC, National Geographic, NBC’s Today Show, USA Today, New Scientist, Psychology Today and Forbes.com.