Painite with Scapolite and Corundum var. Ruby - image 1

Painite with Scapolite and Corundum var. Ruby

Unknown Owner

Help improve this recordNo owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.

Painite is a rare species that is frankly legendary on the internet rankings of "rarest and most valuable gem species" even today; and rarely, exceptionally, does it come in crystals. It is a calcium-aluminum-zirconium borate-oxide species known from only a few limited finds in Myanmar (Burma). Once known only from the gem rough, and later from small 1-2 cm crystals, a single large discovery was made about 20 years ago of larger crystals. They strip-mined a hill to mine it out, and then no more were found for a decade or so until recently (recent production consists of thin, elongated crystals frozen in matrix - yet another style entirely). And, we never saw anything this large! This is a relatively large (OK - actually it is HUGE and SIMPLY MUST be among worlds biggest!) and doubly terminated Painite crystal from the type locality near Mogok, Myanmar (Burma). This specimen was part of the big, and never-repeated, discoveries in the region in 2005-6 and it consists of a robust, nearly two inch lustrous-brown-red, prismatic crystal intimately associated with granular matrix. The matrix is composed of massive, yellowish Scapolite that has a patch that is sprinkled with tiny (less than 0.5 mm) crystals of Ruby for a bit of color contrast. The Scapolite fluoresces yellow in both short and long wave UV, and Ruby fluoresces bright red-pink in long wave UV. The stout Painite crystal is strongly striated parallel to its length and is crudely terminated on the top end; and possibly so on its bottom end (crudely so, but mostly terminated, we believe). One of the largest and most handsome crystals of the species we are aware of, this makes for an important display-quality addition to any museum or private collection of rare gem species. It is one of the most significant of rare species to obtain in large scale crystals, based on historical availability and desirability.