By Chisom Ibemere
Sugilite was first discovered in 1944 in the Southwestern Japan by a geologist whose name is Ken-ichi Sugi. The initial discovered stones were tiny, yellow crystals with no gem value. It was named in honour of Ken-ichi Sugi and is also called “Royal Lavulite”. It was in 1979 that significant amounts were discovered and it was later brought to the notice of the gemstone industry.
Sugilite is a rare mineral, it has a purple to pink colour and found primarily in places like South Africa, Japan, Canada, Italy, India, and Australia. It is basically used as a gemstone in jewellery, but it also has some other industrial applications. It is occasionally added to glass and ceramic glazes to produce a purple colour.
Sugilite undergoes crystallization in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. The crystals are rarely found and massive. It has a Mohs hardness of 6-6.5 which makes it to be soft. It has a deep purple colour, but may also vary from pink to reddish-purple in hue.
Sugilite has a waxy to vitreous lustre and is usually translucent to opaque. It is made up of potassium, sodium, lithium, iron, manganese, and aluminium.
Sugilite is a rare mineral and highly valued as a gemstone. Its value depends on the quality of the gemstone, with higher quality stones bearing more value. High quality stones are highly priced and valued while the lower quality ones tend to be less priced.
