Stone Mania

Sugilite is a fairly recent find in the gemstone world.  The first known appearance of sugilite took place on the Iwagi Islet in southwest Japan in 1944 and was discovered by professor Kenichi Sugi after whom it was later named.

The colour of this first variety of sugilite was a light brownish yellow and was in the form of minute grains.  The second known occurrence of sugilite came in 1955 when a single dark red ore specimen was found that had pink crystals across its surface.  It was found in manganese ore samples in the Madhya Pradesh area of central India but was not identified as sugilite until many years later.  Neither of these discoveries produced sufficient quantities or a desirable colour to be of any use to gem makers.

In 1975 the third and most important occurrence took place in the southern Kalahari desert near Hotazel, South Africa.  This came in the form of a thin bright magenta band running through a core sample obtained at the Wessels Manganese mine.  The part of the mine where the sample of sugilite was obtained contained only low grade ore, so excavation of the area did not commence until 1979.  At 3,200 feet below the surface, an inclined shaft's roof fell in and exposed the first major deposit of gem grade sugilite.  This chance find produced about ten thousand pounds of gemstone quality sugilite.  Most of this original material has now been mined, but occasionally small quantities are still found.

Sugilite is commonly pronounced with a soft 'g' as in "genius", whereas the correct pronunciation is with a hard 'g' as in "gold".

In crystal healing, sugilite strengthens the heart, aids physical healing and reduces stress.  It is a balancer of the mind, body and spirit and encourages peace of mind and a general feeling of well being and spiritual love.  Sugilite can be used to protect against the harsh realities of this world and can help one to believe in themself.  It can eliminate hostility and anger, jealousy and prejudice along with almost all other negative attributes.   It is also said to be an excellent remedy for headaches. 

Sugilite is graded 7 on Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

The following links offer further reading on sugilite