Sugilite

Sugilite (also known as luvulite) is a comparatively rare pink to purple cyclosilicate mineral with the complex chemical formula: KNa2 (Fe, Mn, Al) 2Li3Si12O30. Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with the prismatic crystals. The crystals are very rarely found and the form is usually massive. It has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 7.5 and a specific gravity of 2.75 - 2.85.

History

Sugilite was first introduced in 1945 by the Japanese petrologic Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1949) for an occurrence on Iwaki Islet, Japan where it was found in an aegirine syenite intrusive stock. It is found in a similar environment at Mont Saint-Hillarie, Quebec, and then in Canada.

In the Wessels mine in Northern Cape Province of South Africa Sugilite was mined from a strata-bound manganese deposit. It is also reported from Liguria and Tuscany, Italy; New South Wales, Australia; and also Madhya Pradesh, India.