0.23 ct. Japanese Anorthite with Copper
Color: Colorless / Reddish-Brown
Clarity: Moderately Included
Origin: Miyake-jima, Japan
Cut: Custom Square
Treatments: None
Measurements: 3.6 mm
A wonderfully rare thing, this little gem is cut from rough collected as one of Japan's most famous mineral localities. Miyake-jima is a volcanic island in the Pacific around 200 km south of Tokyo. It was here in 1874 that the Oyama volcano erupted and through tiny crystals of the nearly pure Feldspar end-member called Anorthite across the island. These have been collected as specimens ever since, but once in a great awhile a fragment with a gemmy interior has been found. Faceted Anorthite is incredibly rare and highly prized within Japan - very, very few of the specimens are anywhere near gem quality. What is even more remarkable is that some of these stones contain bright and reflective strands of elemental Copper as inclusions. This outstanding example is one of the very largest and cleanest examples we have every come across with this wonder Copper inclusion. An outstanding example and completely museum grade.