Kunzite - rare spodumene
Properties and deposits of kunzite
The gem acquired its name at the beginning of the 20th century thanks to the American mineralogist J. Kunz, who first described and studied it. Kunzite is a type of mineral called spodumene, often with a pinkish-lilac hue. The gem is very similar to topaz, amethyst and beryl, which is probably why it is also called lithium amethyst or spodumene amethyst.
This amazingly rare stone can be found in other colors:
- Gray.
- Violet.
- Purple.
- Brown.
- Yellow.
- Brown.
- Green kunzite is considered especially beautiful.
Pleochroism is an amazing property due to which gems, including kunzite, are able to change shades depending on the angle from which they are viewed. Kunzite can become colorless, pink, purple or multi-colored at once.
But the mineral also has a not very pleasant feature: from excessive exposure to the sun, it can lose its natural shade, become dull and colorless.
In nature, this mineral is mined in the form of crystals, sometimes reaching a length of about 15 meters; the weight of especially large specimens exceeds 100 tons.
Kunzite is considered one of the most beautiful gems in the world, and all thanks to the admixture of manganese it contains. Jewelry with this gem they always look delicate and elegant; a ring with kunzite made of white gold or silver, put on a finger under a suitable evening outfit, will be especially elegant.
Location
Not too many gem deposits have been found worldwide, the main ones are located in:
- Brazil.
- Afghanistan.
- Africa.
- in Madagascar.
Pakistan is also famous for producing the best gems suitable for making jewelry, as evidenced by many photographs.
In addition to jewelry, kunzite is often used in industry, for example, to create rare types of glass and lithium metal. It is worth noting that this stone is extremely hard, so processing it is a difficult and lengthy process, during which it can easily crumble.
Healing properties of kunzite
Lithotherapists often use this mineral for treatment, because it can help with many health problems. It is known that kunzite has a beneficial effect on the heart, improving its blood supply, as well as stimulating correct work muscles, gradually leading to the healing of many ailments of this vital organ.
The gem neutralizes Negative consequences from anesthesia, and is also effective for neuralgia. The stone corrects the work immune system, making her stronger and more resilient.
The considerable content of lithium in the stone helps to quickly get rid of depression, nervous disorders, the consequences of stressful situations, and most importantly, kunzite will help cope with insomnia. For a positive effect, the owner of the pebble just needs to admire it for a while, turning it in different sides and watching the magical overflows. The nervous system will soon return to normal from such procedures.
The stone is also good for children, it calms overly active fidgets and improves the functioning of their energy flows.
Magical properties of the mineral
In magic, the stone is used much more often than in healing; it helps to find balance between the heart and mind. It attracts love, joy, happiness to the owner, bestows inspiration, develops intuition and improves intellectual abilities.
The gem protects the owner from all manifestations of evil: damage, unrequited love, the evil eye, injuries and deception, sets him up for goodness and positivity. For this purpose, magicians advise putting pendants with kunzite on children, because they need protection more than adults.
Kunzite is the most suitable talisman for creative people, because it helps them gain inspiration in those moments when it seems that it has completely dried up.
In every home, regardless of the zodiac sign of its residents (after all, it can be used by everyone), it is useful to have kunzite figurines. It will suit everyone, but Leos, Scorpios and Taurus will find a connection with the pebble faster than others.
Kunzite is a transparent stone Pink colour With purple shades. It resembles rock quartz, but differs in transparency and color.
Kunzite is a transparent pink stone with purple hues.
The mineral became known to people not so long ago - in the twentieth century. An American prospector accidentally found a beautiful and unusual crystal. Pink kunzite was scientifically described in 1902. It was studied by George Kunz, so this mineral is named.
Over its more than century-long history of great popularity in jewelry making he never found it. However, there are known cases of counterfeiting, which is evidence of the growing demand for kunzite.
The cost of the best nuggets is about 5-50 dollars per carat. Kunzite is beautiful, spectacular and mysterious, so its demand in the jewelry industry is a matter of the near future.
Kunzite became known to people not so long ago - in the twentieth century According to the international classification, kunzite belongs to the spodumene taxon. A natural nugget of this mineral looks like a flattened prism. Distinctive feature is not only the characteristic color and transparency, but also the longitudinal shading of the vertical edges.
The disadvantage of kunzite is due to the fact that its color is due to the presence of manganese, so when heated or exposed to direct sunlight, the stone fades and turns pale.
In addition, the use of pink mineral in jewelry is complicated by problems with its cutting, since it is fragile. Not every specialist can handle the processing of this stone, which affects the cost of the jewelry.
However, this mineral has found its application not only in jewelry. It is used:
- for the production of lithium metal;
- in the production of glass with special properties(greater shine and better reflectivity);
- in magical practice.
Properties of stone (video)
Properties of pink stone
When talking about the properties of minerals, they mean the following:
- physical,
- chemical,
- energy,
- mechanical,
- decorative.
If we briefly describe kunzite, its properties are manifested as follows.
- The crystalline structure of the mineral determines its fibrous and brittle nature. It seems to consist of fibers that tend to break off. The difficulties of jewelry processing are associated with this property.
- Kunzite belongs to the silicate class of minerals, so its chemical formula (LiAl) includes silicon.
- Physical parameters are manifested in hardness - 7, and density - 3.2. There are no magnetic properties.
- The color is distinct, formally described as lilac - pale pink - colorless with a glassy sheen, which may not always coincide with the subjective perception of shades.
Not every specialist can cope with the processing of this stone, which affects the cost of jewelry The value of any mineral is associated with its decorative value and practical demand in industry and everyday life. However, there is another area where “pure breed” stones have a special price - they are in demand among magicians, shamans, and psychics.
Gems and minerals (video)
Energy of the mineral
Magic is the conscious use of the energy of one's own body to influence objects in order to obtain some result. Such an impact has always had auxiliary tools and means that enhance the effect. The last category has always included precious and semiprecious stones, as well as simple minerals.
The teachings about the magical properties of stones originated in antiquity.
Kunzite was unknown to ancient people. At least, our contemporaries think so. However, today there are descriptions of magical properties for these pink crystals.
It is believed that using this stone during meditation helps to clear the mind of obsessive images and thoughts and achieve a state of harmony and calm.
This mineral helps a restless person preserve himself in a complex world by showing best qualities- kindness, honesty of thoughts and actions, love for yourself, other people, nature and the whole world.
Kunzite is necessary for creative people because it helps them gain inspiration and tune in to the perception of the subtle world Jewelry with kunzite should be given to a person whose love and good attitude to yourself you value. A clean stone that has not been processed by jewelers can be given to children as a toy. This will improve the child’s energy, making him calm, balanced and kind.
Kunzite is necessary for creative people because it helps them gain inspiration and tune in to the perception of the subtle world. This stone paves the way to the subtle worlds, awakening the child in a person. As a result, an adult begins to look at the world through pink crystals, regaining cheerfulness and a heightened perception of the beauty of nature and works of art.
Kunzite has also found application in lithotherapy. Proper contact with the mineral has a positive effect on the heart, eliminating the manifestations of arrhythmia. This improves the functioning of the circulatory system and normalizes blood pressure.
Lithotherapists and traditional healers recommend placing a pebble near the heart. However, in some particularly sensitive people this may cause too much of a reaction. Therefore, kunzite as remedy It is better to wear it briefly at first and at some distance from the heart. Only after checking the body’s reaction can you begin lithotherapy by placing the stone in the center of the chest bone. For medicinal purposes, you should use a stone minimally framed in metal. It is better if there is no metal at all, and the stone hangs on a leather cord.
Kunzite is a beautiful mineral, of course, but it is also healing. The combination of these properties, when used skillfully, can give your image a special charm and attractiveness.
One of the varieties of the mineral spodumene is kunzite stone. Spodumene is a lithium aluminum silicate from the pyroxene group. From ancient Greek, the word “sdios” is translated as “ashy”; the mineral received this name because of its characteristic shade. Kunzite is a variety of pink, purple or purple, caused by inclusions of manganese ions in the crystal structure.
Most semi-precious kunzite crystals do not have internal defects
There are 3 types of spodumene:
- kunzite;
- giddenite (its crystals contain vanadium and chromium ions, which give the mineral an emerald green and bluish-green color);
- trifan.
The color of the main mass of spodumene - triphana - is light gray, white, yellowish or yellow with a green tint. It is opaque. But kunzite and giddenite, suitable for gem cut, - transparent, have a glassy sheen, which on the cleavage planes turns into a soft pearlescent sheen. The intensity of the pink color of kunzite depends not only on manganese, but also on the ratio of lithium and aluminum in the mineral. The higher the lithium content in the stones, the more saturated the color will be.
Spodumene, as a phosphor, is capable of converting absorbed energy into light radiation. Most of the mineral is used to extract lithium metal, the rest is used to produce glass. Beautifully colored kunzite and giddenite crystals are processed into jewelry, although cutting and polishing these stones requires considerable effort. In addition, the crystals are very fragile and can “fade” - lose their original color when exposed to sunlight.
Crystals and faceted kunzite stones have a distinct pleochroism - pink stone Depending on the viewing angle, it can change color from light purple to colorless. Kunzite is also characterized by clear dichroism, which is noticeable under normal lighting: it changes color from amethyst to colorless, depending on which facet the light passes through.
It is possible to enhance the color of light, dull stones using gamma radiation in a linear accelerator with preheating, but over time, under the influence of sunlight, they fade again, returning to their original color. As a result of prolonged x-ray or radium irradiation, the stone can acquire an emerald green color. In ultraviolet light, pink kunzite clearly luminesces orange.
Properties of kunzite stone (video)
Kunzite crystals rarely exceed 10 cm. The crystal structure of the mineral is of a chain type, the main motif of the chain is elongated polyhedral fibers assembled into polyhedra. The mineral forms prismatic, flattened and long monoclinic crystals, tapering towards one end. The cleavage is close to perfect - the gem is capable of splitting to form smooth parallel surfaces.
The hardness of pink spodumene is about 7 - it is treated with diamond and can scratch glass. Most semi-precious kunzite crystals do not have internal defects.
Gallery: kunzite stone (50 photos)
Kunzite – discovery and deposits
Kunzite is sometimes called lithium amethyst, spodumene amethyst, and California iris. The mineral was discovered by chance by father and son prospectors who mistook it for pink tourmaline in 1902 in San Diego (California), and was described by the American mineralogist George Kunz, after whom it was later named. The scientist proposed kunzite, whose properties are close to those of amethyst, to the chief designer of the jewelry company Tiffany & Co, George Farnham. It was under this brand that the first Jewelry with kunzite.
George Kunz himself was the leading gemologist for Tiffany & Co from the age of 23, being the most famous specialist in this industry in the world, and remained the main expert on precious stones of the jewelry house until his death. Now this mineral is used as a relatively inexpensive gemstone and valuable collection material.
Amethyst spodumene is commonly found in hematite voids, in granitic pegmatites, along with quartz, tourmaline, beryl, microcline, tantalite, albite and other minerals. Jewelry crystals are found very rarely; they are formed in the miarolite cavities of pegmatites due to recrystallization and re-deposition of earlier spodumene masses.
The main deposits of kunzite are located in Afghanistan, the USA (California), Brazil (Minas Geras), Burma and the island of Madagascar. The Smithsonian Institution in the USA (Washington) houses one of the largest cut gemstones of this type, weighing 880 carats, originally from Brazil. The Museum of Natural History (Los Angeles) exhibits an Afghan gem weighing 1,267 carats. A bright purple kunzite crystal measuring 6,200 carats was also mined in Afghanistan.
Artificial kunzite is not synthesized. As its imitations, painted glass, synthetic corundum and spinel are used.
Mystical properties of kunzite
Pink spodumene is not associated with any of the zodiac constellations, perhaps due to the fact that it was discovered only recently and does not have a long history. Astrologers believe that this is a neutral stone, equally useful to all zodiac signs without exception. It perfectly relieves stress, tension and fatigue, relieves regrets about the past and fear of the future. Wearing rings or pendants with this gem calms the nervous system, saves from insomnia, and normalizes heart function and blood pressure.
Kunzite creates harmony between the heart and mind. Helps keep emotions under control. Therefore, this mineral is perfect for meditation.
Jewelry with kunzite can be given to children. This stone will teach the child honesty, openness, sincerity, will maintain a cheerful attitude, and will protect against fear and self-doubt. The gem will surround the baby with a protective shell that dispels negative influences.
Kunzite is a rather rare and interesting gemstone with very interesting properties. It was named after the mineralogist J. Kunz, who first described it in 1902 according to different samples. They were found in San Diego, California. Kunzite is one naturally occurring variety of spodumene. Today it is a kind of silicate created from lithium and aluminum, with the addition of manganese.
This stone is most often formed in granite pegmatites, in the form of clearly defined columnar or tabular crystals, with quite characteristic shading on the edges. There have been cases where opaque stone crystals reached a length of more than 10 meters, and the weight of the stone often exceeded tens of tons.
Kunzite deposits
Although this type of spodumene is not very rare, there are only a few places in the world where kunzite suitable for cutting is mined. The best crystals of this stone can be found in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is important to note that this is the richest place where you can easily find any precious rocks. For example, a famous transparent crystal weighing 7.41 kg was found here, which is currently stored in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
The largest crystal of excellent quality was also mined in the state, weighing more than 110 kg. From the deposits of Badakhshan, located near the oldest mines of Afghan lapis lazuli, transparent kunzite stones are regularly supplied, reaching a size of 0.5 m and a weight of about 10 kg. Also samples of precious crystal highest quality come from Pakistan, Madagascar and Nigeria.
Jewelry kunzite has all the properties of a precious stone, such as hardness, strength, brilliance and extraordinary color. Although this crystal is not very widely known, however, in many countries of Western Europe, as well as in the USA, jewelry with this, although inexpensive, beautiful stone are in great demand.
Gems with bright colors are quite rare and therefore are valued somewhat higher. Cutting kunzite crystals is quite difficult, since due to their perfect cleavage they often crack during processing. Stones that have a pale pink color may lose their color as a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight, most often this happens with stones from Brazil.
Kunzite stone is a type of spodumene. As a rule, it has a pink or purple color. If the composition includes magnesium ions, then this mineral acquires a purple color. Kunzite is one of the few stones whose properties suit all zodiac signs. Fashionable jewelry trends include the use of this gem only for women's cocktail jewelry.
The beautiful pale pink kunzite stone is the best known variety of the pyroxene group mineral called spodumene. Kunzite was first discovered at the end of the 19th century in California (USA) by a family of American prospectors who mistook it for pink tourmaline.
Kunzite deposits are located in Afghanistan, Brazil, Madagascar and the USA (California).
Kunzite stone color and fashion trends
The peculiarity of the color of the mineral is that its color is unstable and weakens in strong light. Because of this property of kunzite, jewelry with such stones is not displayed in brightly lit windows in jewelry stores.
Top quality kunzites almost never exceed the $200 per carat price threshold.
Kunzite is predominantly a feminine stone, men's jewelry They don't usually do this with it. Most popular in fashion trends cocktail rings with kunzite. The basis of such jewelry is a very large stone, weighing 30-50 carats. Such rings are always worn without a set.
These photos show items with kunzite for cocktail parties:
Magical properties of kunzite for zodiac signs
Since the Jewelry Industrial Council of America and the British National Association of Jewelers have not officially associated kunzite with any month of birth, astrologers see no obstacles in wearing this stone by all zodiac signs without exception.
From the point of view of some lithotherapists, it is believed that kunzite stone has the property of relieving stress. It protects its owner from regrets about the past and worries about the future, relieves fatigue and tension, protects against unhappy love and deception.
Healers also claim that magical properties kunzite has a beneficial effect on the activity of the heart, and jewelry with this gem helps with insomnia and has a calming effect on the nervous system.
