Charoite: Properties, Facts and Photos
What is Charoite?
Charoite is a rare silicate mineral found only in one small area of eastern Siberia.
Although discovered in 1948 by geologist Vladimir Ditmar, it was another twenty years before geologists revisited the site where charoite was found and the mineral was investigated.
Charoite was found in Yakutia, also known as the Republic of Sakha. This area covers more than three million square kilometres in Russia's Far East (Siberia).
It's widely reported that charoite was named after the Chara River because it's where it's believed to have been found. However, charoite is actually found just over forty miles away.
Extensive discussions took place before this new purple-coloured mineral was named. The name 'Charaite' was initially chosen but later changed to avoid confusion with another mineral called 'charalite'. The name 'Charoite' was finally approved on June 22nd, 1977.
In Russia, charoite is known as 'sirenevyi kamen' (cиреневый kамень), meaning 'lilac stone'.
The doctor of geology and mineralogy who identified charoite had concerns about the distance of the Chara River from where the stone was found. She later agreed it wasn't a major problem and liked the fact that the Russian word 'chary' means 'enchantment', which she felt was appropriate for the stone's enchanting purple colour.
Charoite occurs in a mountain complex called the Murun Massif, a large body of unusual igneous rocks formed by ancient volcanic activity and later altered by hot, mineral-rich fluids. This rare geological setting is the only known place in the world where charoite is found.
The area is almost 600 miles from the nearest road, which makes access extremely difficult, especially for heavy machinery. For this reason, charoite is mined mainly by hand.
The Republic of Sakha has limited the amount of charoite that can be mined each year to one hundred tons.
When polished, charoite can exhibit a lilac to rich purple colour and beautiful swirling patterns. Some stones can be slightly chatoyant.
It has a complex chemical composition and always occurs with other minerals. Some of the most common include aegirine, aegerine, microcline, quartz, arfvedsonite, apophyllite and frankamenite.
Despite being more readily available now than it once was, charoite is still relatively rare. Finding larger quantities and fine-grade material has never been easy, but it's now more difficult than ever because of the current situation in Russia.
It's believed there's almost no gem-grade charoite left available to mine.
Once charoite became known to the outside world, it quickly captured the attention of rock and mineral collectors. It wasn't long before it was being widely used for lapidary purposes.
Fake charoite, recently identified from China, is being produced using low-grade purple fluorite. Charoite grades 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, fluorite grades 4. Therefore, charoite will scratch fluorite, but fluorite will not scratch charoite.
Article Pictures
The charoite at the top of our page is on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. The piece in the second photo is housed in London's Natural History Museum. Photos: Stone Mania.
Pop-up photos
Aegirine (and tinaksite): Courtesy of Géry Parent. Microcline (in albite): Photo by Stone Mania. Arfvedsonite (black mineral): Courtesy of James St. John. Apophyllite (on stilbite): Courtesy of Stan Celestian.
An article by David Carter (published on Mindat) was used as a reference. The full article, which includes extensive information and some great photos, can be found here.
