Painite and Ruby

Unknown Owner

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The Guinness Book of World Records has described Painite as THE rarest gem mineral, and therefore Painite is considered one of the "Holy Grail" of rare minerals. It was named after its discoverer, British gemologist Arthur Charles Davy Pain. Discovered in Burma in the early 1950's, from 1956 until 1979 only three crystals of this hexagonal mineral were known to exist for many years. This deep red, glassy crystal is an astounding 2.2 cm long, with superb luster. It is very difficult to find specimens that even exceed a few millimeters in length! This one is surrounded by a harem of dozens upon dozens of gemmy pink-red Rubies by association. This is from a small pocket found in literally strip-mining a mountain there around 2000-2002. This crystal has exceptional luster and form. Aesthetic matrix pieces were very rare, although single crystals came in abundance for the first and last time. In context of the finds, this is a superlative, important piece that is as sexy and display-worthy as they get. 54g.