Pietersite Mineral

Rare Pietersite Polished Slice

Pietersite is a relatively rare natural mineral that can be quite beautiful.  It is currently only mined in Namibia although it has been found in China but is no longer mined there.  Despite doing a considerable amount of our buying in South Africa which is just across the border, it's still incredibly difficult to find polished pietersite of this grade for our collection.  Most of the material that's available to buy has either been cut and polished as cabochons for use in the jewellery trade or is low grade.

First described in 1962, pietersite is a type of brecciated tigers eye which exhibits lustrous tones of blue and brown colour.  It's not uncommon for the finest grades of pietersite to exhibit slight chatoyance.  Despite sharing certain characteristics with tigers eye and being similar from a geological perspective, pietersite was formed under very different geological conditions.

This shard of pietersite is quite magnificent and has only been polished on one side.  The optical phenomenon of chatoyance can be seen in small sections especially those with darker shades of colour.  It would undoubtedly make a superb addition to any collection of rocks and minerals.

Weight (grams) : 78.9
Size (cms) : 14.3 x 7.1 x 0.5