Pendant – Charoite

Charoite is a unique, lilac-coloured and fibrous stone. It can only be found in one spot on earth; the Murunskii Massif, close to the Chara river, where the stone gets its name. Pure Charoite doe not really occur, because it always forms together with other minerals like, among others, Quartz, Aegerine and Tinaksite. It was discovered in the sixties, a period where geological research was funded heavily by the Soviet Union. This was mainly to discover Uranium, but also brought new mineral species to the worlds attention, and among them Charoite. There is probably a large amount of Charoite left to be uncovered, but the harsh environment of the Siberian taiga makes mining a challenge. This causes Charoite to be a rare and valuable stone, especially when it comes to the deep purple colour that is popular among collectors.