Gems TV

PEZZOTTAITE

Displaying gorgeous deep raspberry pinks, Pezzottaite is a relatively new gemstone that has been subject to much confusion due to its similarities with the Red variety of Beryl, Bixbite.

Just the Facts

Pezzottaite was discovered in November 2002 at the Sakavalana mine located about 140 kilometres southwest of Antsirabe in southern Madagascar. The initial deposit yielded some extremely rare large crystals and it is now practically depleted although small amounts are now mined elsewhere in Madagascar. The Sakavalana pegmatite where Pezzottaite was discovered was mined by the French for Tourmaline during the 1940’s. The initial Pezzottaite deposit was discovered in a large crystal bearing cavity that also contained Tourmaline and Spodumene. Not surprisingly, Pezzottaite was initially mistakenly sold as Tourmaline in Madagascar.

Pezzottaite is mined from granitic pegmatites using hand tools, making its extraction slow and difficult.

Having a slightly different chemical composition to Bixbite (Be3Al2Si6O18), it was named Pezzottaite (Cs[Be2Li]Al2Si6O18) in September 2003 after Dr. Federico Pezzotta of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy, in recognition of his contributions to the mineralogy of Madagascar.

Pezzottaite has a variety of trade names including Madagascan Raspberyl, Raspberyl and Raspberry Beryl. While Pezzottaite is closely related to the Beryl family and is visually similar, it is in fact a unique species, making its trade names somewhat misleading.

Like Emeralds, inclusions in Pezzottaite are common, especially in the larger carat weights. However, their rarity and novelty for gemstone collectors has always been the primary factor. Pezzottaite has all the attributes a gem needs - beauty, durability and rarity. Far scarcer than Ruby, these rare gems truly are a unique fashion statement.