390cts of natural, Chip-bead Charoite make up this necklace and bracelet set. Great for summertime wear.
Precious metal: No Metal
Number of Gemstones: 2
Shape: Chip-bead
Total Carat Weight: 390.00cts
Charoite was first
discovered around 1940. It was named after Yakutia's Chary River, in Russia. The Murun complex in the Sakha Republic,
Siberia, has been the sole source of charoite gemstones. Charoite forms from
deposits of limestone transformed through heat, pressure and the infusion of
unique chemicals. The process is known as 'contact metamorphism' and it is
considered to be a common geological phenomenon. Because the process of
formation is quite common, the reason why charoite occurrences are rare and
limited only to the small region from which they are mined has never been fully
understood.
The colors of charoite
include stunning bright lavender, soft light-lilac, and violet to deep purple.
The violet-purple coloring agent is actually owed to the charoite mineral
itself. Charoite almost always occurs with varying swirling mixes and patterns
which will often exhibit all of these colors in a single stone. Some may also
have black, green and orange streaks as a result of trace agents of colored
impurities.
Charoite is often opaque
in clarity, but in some cases, it may appear slightly translucent. One of the
most desirable traits of charoite is its slight to moderate level of
chatoyancy, best seen in specimens with higher translucency. The chatoyancy
adds to the silky to pearly luster. Light colored inclusions are very common,
as well as fibrous and fine-grained parallel inclusions, as these are
responsible for the desirable phenomenon of chatoyancy (the cat's eye effect). None of the above is seen in charoite in the
natural form.
There are no known
officially accepted treatments or enhancements for charoite. It is one of the
few gemstone materials available today that remains untreated throughout
production. Despite the rarity of untreated gem quality charoite, it remains
very modestly priced.