Sugilite is quite a rare gemstone. It was first discovered in 1944 by a Japanese petrologist named Ken-ichi Sugi, which is where it gets its unique name.
Chemical composition:
Sugilite is a sodium-potassium lithium silicate mineral that gets its color from a small amount of manganese.
Locations:
High-quality specimens are rare and are sought after by gemologists and collectors worldwide, like Japan, South Africa, India-Rajasthan, Canada, Liguria, Tuscany, Italy, New South Wales, Australia, Tajikistan.
Color:
The top quality and the most desirable sugilite play with colors like purple, pink, violet, blue, but you can find it also reddish, light brownish-yellow, colorless. Ironically the first sugilite that was find didn't have purple color but brown.
Imitation Sugilite:
Most of the imitation sugilite passes off as synthetic. Dyed marble and quartzite, serpentine have been used as imitation sugilite.
How can you tell if Sugilite is real?
Genuine sugilite can be very hard to come by, so the first aspect you should pay attention to is the price of the stone. If it's cheap, it is unlikely that the stone is real sugilite. On the other hand, the stone's rarity has made it quite expensive, so expect to pay higher prices for the real thing.
Another good way to tell whether or not sugilite is the real deal is by looking at the stone's color. The color of sugilite shouldn't be dull, and stone shouldn't have black veins.
What Sugilite is worth:
Now, the promised part. What are the stones worth?
In the pictures, you can see showpieces; my work with sugilite, this gemstone works excellent on silver or platinum settings due to the contrast of colors.
Sugilite comes in three variates which are differently priced.
1. Most Sugilite on the market has variance shades of purple, and they are opaque, 3$ per carat.
2. The value of sugilite increases on the type of purple seen on the gemstone, and if the piece looks almost artificial or alien, then it's probably a top-grade piece of sugilite, 6$ per carat.
3.These are far more valuable known as Sugilite gel is translucent the more transparency the sugilite has, the more it is worth from 15$ per carat ( low grade) 50$ per carat ( mid. grade) 150$ ( top grade). These top-grade stones are truly phenomenal.
To view our collection Sugilite jewellery click on this link:
https://www.templeofcrystal.com/collections/shop/sugilite