Kunzite

Kunzite is the pale pink to violet variety of the mineral spodumene, coloured by traces of manganese. It was found in California in 1902 and takes its name from George Frederick Kunz, the Tiffany & Co. mineralogist who recognised it. Its crystals are often large and clean, but its two perfect cleavages call for care in cutting and wear.

Kunzite is mainly a gem: it is used as a faceted stone in rings, pendants and earrings. The crystals are often large and clean, so big stones can be cut. Because of its two cleavages, cutters orient the stone with care, and in jewellery exposed to knocks, such as rings, the risk of damage has to be kept in mind. Raw crystals also appear in museums and collections.

It has a hardness of 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale. It scratches glass and steel; a steel knife cannot scratch it. Its specific gravity is 3.03–3.23 g/cm³.

Its best-known localities: Nuristan Province, Afghanistan; Eastern Minas Gerais, Brazil; Pala district, San Diego County, California, USA; Laghman Province, Afghanistan; Antsirabe area, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar.

Its colour runs from pale pink to lilac and violet. It is pleochroic: the colour looks darkest and most vivid when viewed down the length of the crystal. Its hardness is 6.5–7, but it has two perfect cleavages; a hard knock or pressure can split it along those surfaces. Crystals are long, flattened prisms with faces striated along their length. They usually have few inclusions and are clean. Irradiated and heated kunzite: the colour of kunzite can be strengthened by irradiation followed by heating. The buyer should be told when this has been done.

On the “street to diamond” value ladder it sits on step 6 of nine: Fine ornamental and collector stone. Colour matters most in kunzite: saturated, vivid tones from pink to violet are the most sought after. Because the colour looks deepest down the length of the crystal, cutters often cut the stone deep to strengthen it. Kunzite usually has few inclusions, so clean stones are common and large stones can be found; colour and cut quality count for more than clarity. The colour may have been strengthened by irradiation and heating, and since it can fade in light and heat, how the stone has been stored also matters for keeping its value.

Today crystal-therapy practitioners say that kunzite is linked to the heart chakra, steadies emotions in heartbreak and distress, eases fear and worry about the future, and brings gentle, loving dreams. The same circles also claim that kunzite relieves headaches and joint pain, helps the heart and circulation and the digestion, and helps in the struggle against alcohol dependence. There is no scientific evidence that kunzite balances emotions, changes dreams or helps any ailment; for alcohol dependence or lasting pain, see a doctor rather than relying on a stone. Because kunzite was only recognised in 1902, these beliefs come not from an old tradition but from recent crystal-therapy thinking. This section reports beliefs; it is not health information. There is no scientific evidence for these claims and no stone replaces medical treatment.