Benitoite from Benitoite Gem Mine, San Benito County, California, USA

Benitoite is a brilliant, commonly sapphire-blue gemstone and was first described by Louderback in 1907. It is a well-known rare gem species in the gem and mineral market and a potential material for detecting magnetization density distribution in space due to its paramagnetic defects. Although 23 benitoites are reported, only 2 of them produce gem-quality crystals, and the New Idria district of San Benito County, California is the only known commercial occurrence. Gem-quality benitoite seemly crystalized in the natrolite-filled veins in tectonic blueschist predominated high Ba and Ti serpentinite.

I got this beauty in 2021, the year I probably got a dozen nice pieces but this 3cm toenail (xl 1.5cm) is definitely going to be one of my core collections.

Jingnan (Tom) Zhang Coll and Photo