Russian Charoite
Purple Stones at their best
For quite some time now, we have been looking for some Russian Charoite stones that we could cut and cab. Recently, we found some ! We are very excited about this, as, most of what we have found has been so expensive, it was well out of our reach.
The stones have a gorgeous coloring in various shades of purple, and a light chatoyance, which just adds to the beauty and appearance of the stone.
It is said that Charoite has very good healing properties, but for us it's just the natural beauty of the stone that attracts. If you love purple, and are generally looking at Amethyst in purple stones, this is a wonderful choice to add to your collection of stone jewelry.
If you are looking for other alternative purple stones, some of the choices are:
Amethyst
Flourite
Sugalite
Lepidolite
Charoite
There are others out there, we just haven't located them all yet, but.....we will!! So stay tuned!!
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charoite (K(Ca;Na)2Si4O10(OH;F)·H2O)[3] is a rare silicate mineral, first described in 1978 and named for the Chara River.[2] It has been reported only from the Sakha Republic, Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.[3] It is found where a syenite of the Murunskii Massif has intruded into and altered limestone deposits producing a potassium feldspar metasomatite.[1][2]Charoite is translucent lavender to purple in color with a pearly lustre. Charoite is strictly massive in nature, and fractures are conchoidal. It has an unusual swirling, fibrous appearance, sometimes chatoyant, and that, along with its intense color, can lead many to believe at first that it is synthetic or enhanced artificially.
Though reportedly discovered in the 1940s, it was not known to the outside world until its description in 1978. It is said to be opaque and unattractive when found in the field; a fact that may have contributed to its late recognition.
Charoite occurs in association with tinaksite and canasite.[3]
Mohs scale hardness 5 - 6
Name Origin: Named for the impression that it gives: "chary" in Russian means "charms" or "magic" and not for the Chara River, which is 70 km away from the locality.
Locality: Murun massif, Chara River area, Aldan Shield, SW Yakutia (Sakha Republic). Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
