Kunzite Information
Kunzite is a wonderful and rare pink gemstone. Originally discovered at the start of the 20th century, it is reemerging in popularity this decade. You’ll find it typically in larger sizes. Kunzite, although popular among certain circles, has not really become a recognizable name by your typical gem and jewelry shopper until recently.
Kunzite Folklore
Kunzite is called the evening stone, because it is best worn at night. Kunzite is strongly fluorescent. This means that it changes the wavelength of UV light (those nasty sun rays we can’t see but cause skin cancer too). This energy absorbed by the stone regularly can cause its color to fade. While we haven’t seen incidences of kunzite fading, we have heard others report it. And we encourage our customers to wear their kunzite responsibly.
Kunzite Prices
Kunzite prices have been climbing steadily for the past two years, and have appreciated in the wholesale marketplaces by over 100%. For a simple Kunzite pricing guide, consider this (please keep in mind size, clarity and cut also have an impact on pricing too):
Pale Color / Near Colorless — Less than $10 per carat
Light Pink Color — $10-$20 per carat
Medium Lilac Pink Color — $20-$60 per carat
Very Rich Color — $60-$180 per carat
Please look at these kunzites on the border of the medium lilac pink to very rich color.
A very interesting observation was made, in that “colorless kunzite” is now a commonly searched phrase online. We hypothesize that the mass-market channels, such as tv shopping online, who are promoting colorless or near colorless kunzite are the reason behind the increased search volume. Unfortunately, something is getting lost in the translation of this tv shopping phenomenon. It should be widely known that a rich pink color is more rare and more beautiful, but the tv shopping channels confuse their viewers with the goal of selling the cheap pale colorless kunzite.
Kunzite Mineral Composition
Kunzite is named after the man who discovered it, Tiffany’s gemologist Dr. Kunz. [note: -ite is a common suffix meaning stone] The mineral name is spodumene. The mineral is composed of LiAl(Si2O6) - Lithium, Aluminum, Silicon, and Oxygen. The MOHs hardness is 6.5 - 7.
Kunzite Localities
Kunzite can be found in many places throughout the world; however, the largest current source of kunzite is from the mountainous region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Up until recently, most of that kunzite rough was channeled through Brazil. Brazil had developed special expertise in treating and cutting kunzite. In fact, most people think Kunzite comes from Brazil because of this — but in actuality there are no mines producing kunzite and all of the Brazilians are buying the Afghani/Pakistani rough. Kunzite is very difficult to cut because the stone has perfect cleavage. A simple mistake may result in a shattered stone. Another added layer of difficulty is that the color appears different based on the orientation of the crystal. This property is called pleochroism. Recently, some of this cutting and treatment expertise has leaked to Asia. Some people may know this stone as Kunzita (because this is the name for Kunzite in Portuguese - the language of Brazil).
