Taaffeite
This is a very rare precious specimen, found absolutely by accident in the middle of the last century by R. Taaffe, after whom the stone was later named. An amateur geologist discovered the mineral while looking at a batch of already cut stones, very similar to spinel, one of them, the color of mallow, interested him. Taaffe sent this specimen for a more thorough study in the laboratory of precious stones because he had never met such an unusual gem before. After studying the properties of an unusual stone, scientists came to the conclusion that this is a new, hitherto unknown mineral. It got its name in 1951, although it was discovered six years later. Earlier, and now after numerous analyzes, the final conclusions were made that this is an independent mineral species with unusual optical properties. Taaffeite is also unique in that it was discovered after it had been processed.
This gem is considered extremely rare, because on Earth it is found in incredibly tiny quantities, and then, only in certain deposits located in the lands of Tanzania or Sri Lanka, several specimens were found in the East of Siberia and Karelia.
Taaffeites range in color from pale pink to lavender. One carat can cost from five hundred dollars to twenty thousand.
READ MORE