Sugilite Cabochon | #171

The Stone: Sugilite natural unstabilized The Weight: 62.97 carats The Origin: South Africa The Cut: Barrel Cabochon Cut stone measurements: 43mm x 21mm x 7.1mm The Color: Purple with Black veining    About Sugilite: Sugilite (most commonly pronounced sooj-ill-ite) is a rare purple to pink mineral discovered in 1944 by Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi.  The first material came out of Japan, but other deposits were later found in Canada and Italy, with the largest current producer being South Africa.  While most material is opaque, high grade material can be quite translucent, sometimes garnering the trade name "royal azel."  Sugilite can often be mistaken for the rare purple Russian mineral, "charoite."  These are two completely different minerals.