Sugilite is also known as Royal Lavulite (Luvulite) and Royal Azel and is a very RARE, pink to purple
cyclosilicate mineral with a very complex chemical formula. Sugilite
crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals but, the crystals
are rarely found and if they are, the form is usually massive.
Sugilite was
first described in 1944 by the Japanese petrologist, Ken-ichi Sugi for an
occurrence on Iwagi Islet in Japan and sometimes may be found in a similar
environment in Canada.
However, the Wessels mine in northern Cape Province of
South Africa is the main source of Sugilite today and it is mined there from a
strata-bound manganese deposit.
The manganese is what gives Sugilite its
purple color and the best, Gem grade Sugilite is a bright magenta color that is sometimes
very translucent....this is called 'gem' or 'gel' Sugilite. Sugilite may
also contain various shades of gray, blue or even red but, the most popular and
rarest color is the magenta shades of purple. When there is the rare, blue
mineral 'Richterite' present it is also considered very gemmy and high end.
Sugilite is a by-product of the
manganese and most of it is crushed and lost during the extraction process for
the manganese however, the miners have been put on notice to watch for
sections of Sugilite in the ore.
The majority of the time, any cabochon cut
from Sugilite rough material will have some 'stress fractures' that may be
evident in close-up photos of the stones, even if they are not visible in
person. If every lapidary waited to find Sugilite rough without fractures
present, then there would be no Sugilite cabochons available for sale.
Please
know that we will never offer a Sugilite cabochon that is not structurally
sound....and, it will be beautiful enough that we would be pleased to use it in
our own customer jewelry designs.
