KUNZITE
A New Lilac-colored Transparent Spodumene
By Dr. George Frederick Kunz
Reprinted from Science, September 4, 1903
The mineral spodumene is generally known in large opaque whitish crystals, but occasionally it appears in small specimens that are transparent and richly colored. Such are the clear yellow gem spodumenes of Brazil, the green variety Hiddenite, or “little emerald,” of North Carolina, and the lilac or amethystine pieces rarely found at Branchville, Connecticut. These last are plainly remnants of what must once have been elegant specimens; but spodumene is extremely subject to alteration, and has generally lost all its transparency and beauty of tint.
A notable discovery has just been made, however, of large splendid crystals of transparent unaltered spodumene, of rich lilac color; in connection with other lithia minerals, in San Diego Co., Calif. The locality is a mile and a half from the famous rubellite and lepidolite mine at that place. Pala is already one of the most remarkable lithia localities known; amblygonite has been found there by the ton, and the lepidolite is estimated to occur by thousands of tons; while the pink rubellite crystals in the lilac lepidolite are familiar ornaments in every fine mineralogical cabinet.
At the new locality spodumene crystals occur up to the size of a mans hand, entirely clear, and of a rosy lilac tint, varying with tile spodumene dichroism from a very pale tinge when looked at transversely, to, the prism, to a rich amethystine hue longitudinally.
If cut and mounted parallel to the base, these will undoubtedly yield gems of great beauty. No such crystals of spodumene have ever been seen before, and the discovery one of extreme interest. A marked difference in color is noticeable also in these crystals, according as they come from some depth in the rock or lie nearer to the surface. The former having a deeper tint.
This difference is doubtless due to the effect of air, water and light, which so frequently affect the color of minerals for some little distance into the rock.
The material is exceedingly pure, with a hardness of about 7, and specific gravity (average of three crystals) of 3.183. The crystals are somewhat etched and corroded, and have a twinning, like the Hiddenite variety, about the a (IOO) face; this is strikingly shown in the etched crystals, where the etching extend to the twinning plane, and there stops.
Close to the opening, also, a splendid occurrence of colored tourmaline was found, some of the crystals being a foot long and three inches across, of rich pink rubellite with an exterior coating, or terminal capping, of dark blue indicolite.
Some similar, though smaller, crystals of transparent lilac spodumene were brought to the writer last winter, ostensibly from Hermosillo, Mexico; they were, however, found near Menchoir, California.
As this is an entirely new gem of a peculiar beauty, a name will be given to it as soon as its characteristics are definitely determined.
Since the above article was written, the name Kunzite has been given to this beautiful and interesting American gem, and we congratulate Dr. Kunz on having such a handsome namesake – Editor |
