SUGILITE (JEWELRY)

Sugilite is a relatively rare mineral that often appears in somewhere between pink and deep violet. Crystals commonly occur in a massive crystal habit, though other forms are noted to occur. While the type locality is in Japan, the majority of the material on the market is found in South Africa. Of that material, most sugilite specimens are smuggled out of the manganese mines by the miners themselves. Outside of those specimens, which also happen to be the highest quality, sugilite is found in Italy, Canada, and Japan, though in small quantities and relatively unattractive colors.