Sugilite is a relatively rare mineral made up primarily of potassium, sodium, lithium, iron, manganese and aluminium.
The finest material comes from the Kalahari Manganese Field, Northern Cape, South Africa.
Geologists believe this area is between two and three billion years sold.
Although often pronounced with a soft 'g' as in 'George', sugilite should be pronounced with a hard 'g' as in 'goat'.
When sugilite was initially discovered in Japan in 1944, it was incorrectly believed to be a type of Eudialyte.
Sugilite from South Africa can look very different to material from Japan.
SODALITE
