Rare Pietersite from Namibia
Pietersite is a relatively rare mineral from Namibia. Although once found in China, the deposit has been closed for many years because of flooding.
Despite doing a considerable amount of our buying locally in South Africa, just across the border from Namibia, it's still incredibly difficult to find Pietersite of this grade. Most material has either been used for cabochons or is low-grade.
First described in 1962, Pietersite is a type of brecciated tigers eye with lustrous tones of blue and brown. The finest Pietersite can exhibit subtle chatoyance.
Pietersite has similar characteristics to tigers eye but the two formed under very different conditions.
This slice of Pietersite has been beautifully polished but on one side there are some fine scratches that could not be removed. This is because being a thin slice, further polishing is not possible without losing too much material.
