Kunzite is a pink-lilac variety of spodumene. It was discovered in 1902 in California and is named after its discoverer, George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932), an American mineralogist and collector. It occurs in elongated, flattened and poorly terminated prismatic crystals, with longitudinal streaks. The crystals have shades of lilac, pink or purple, with a transparency ranging from translucent to transparent. An interesting feature of kunzite is its phosphorescence. Together with tanzanite, kunzite is considered by mineralogists to be the greatest gemological discovery of the 20th century. Although originally discovered in America, kunzite is now also mined in Brazil, Madagascar and Pakistan. The most important fields are found, however, in Afghanistan.
Dimensions
Height (cm): 2-3
Depth (cm): 1-2
Width (cm): 2-2.5
Weight (g): 10-20
Property
Chemical Formula: LiAl (SiO3) 2
Mohs scale: 6.5 / 7
Relative density: 3 / 3.2
Crystalline System: Monoclinic
