Gems TV

KUNZITE

Discovered in California in 1902 (some sources say around 1877), Kunzite was named after Tiffany’s legendary gemmologist and famous gemstone author, George Frederick Kunz.

Kunz described this durable pink gemstone as having two distinct properties: “phosphorescence” where Kunzite, in this aspect similar to Diamonds, is observed to glow in a darkened room after it has been exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and “pleochroism”, showing different colours when viewed from different directions. These phenomena are best seen in larger sized gems set into jewellery like pendants, drop and chandelier earrings, and rings with open prong or bar settings that let light flow freely through them, accentuating Kunzite’s fire to full effect.

Kunzite radiates pure Parisian chic, revealing delicate pastel pinks, frosty lilacs, cool lavenders, hot fuchsias and rich orchids under the warm glow of incandescent light (candlelight). Its subtle colouring perfectly compliments “décolleté” eveningwear and soft candlelight, hence its colloquial name “the evening gemstone”.

Legends and lore

Aside from their obvious physical beauty, pink gemstones possess potent metaphysical properties. Alternative healers use a multitude of pink gems in conjunction with the “heart chakra”. The 4th of 7 energy points that run the course of the human body, the heart chakra is believed to carry the emotional sensibilities of love and compassion. Some believe that when the 4th chakra is blocked we experience emotions such as anxiety, fear, anger and frustration. Crystal healers use the properties of pink gems like Pink Tourmaline and Kunzite to free the heart chakra from this negative energy. This alternative approach of enhancing the “power of pink” is a viewpoint shared and supported by traditional methods of medicine and psychology: “The colour Pink causes the brain to send signals that reduce the secretion of adrenalin, reducing the heart rate and consequently dissipating states of extreme excitement such as anger”, Science Digest, 1980.

Just the facts

The lithium in Kunzite’s chemical composition, lithium aluminium silicate, along with trace amounts of manganese, gives it the wonderful pink colours that complement both autumn and spring wardrobes. As a member of the Spodumene family, Kunzite is closely related to Hiddenite, a green variety of Spodumene. Hiddenite is an attractive gem, but is extremely rare and for the most part is only known by collectors. Hiddenite was discovered in 1800 in Hiddenite, a city in Alexander County, North Carolina, US. Both the city and the gem were named after William Earl Hidden, a mineralogist and mining director from Newark, New Jersey who was mining in the area. For many years, Hiddenite was limited to North Carolina, but new deposits were recently discovered in Madagascar and Brazil. Green Spodumene must contain trace amounts of chromium to be called Hiddenite.

Spodumene’s colour is due to trace elements of iron (producing yellow to green), chromium (producing medium to deep green) or manganese (producing pink to lilac), all substituting for aluminium in the crystal structure. The name Spodumene (named by B.J. D’Andrada Sylva in 1800) was derived from the Greek “Spodumenos”, meaning “burnt to ashes” in reference to some Spodumenes’ light grey colour.

While Kunzite is usually thought of as a pink to lilac gemstone, Yellow Kunzite, Mint Kunzite and White Kunzite are trade names used to describe yellow, light green and colourless Spodumene. Displaying delicate pastel lemon meringues, mint greens and ice whites, these colour varieties possess all the attributes of Kunzite, albeit in other colours, providing Kunzite lovers with delightful alternatives.

Kunzite is strongly pleochroic, meaning there is a colour intensity variation and change when the crystal is viewed from different directions. A gem cutter must take great care to orient the gem in a position that accentuates its best colour. The top and bottom of the crystal reveal the deepest colours and our experienced gem cutters always take this into consideration when faceting Kunzite for GemsTV.