Charoite, origin: Russia; a specimen exhibited in the room next to the Jaskinia Głęboka cave in Podlesice — Photo: Adrian Tync · CC BY-SA 4.0
Charoite
A rare lavender-purple silicate found only in Siberia — named for the Chara River and prized as an ornamental stone since its 1978 description.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Charoite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula (K,Sr,Ba,Mn)₁₅₋₁₆(Ca,Na)₃₂[Si₇₀(O,OH)₁₈₀](OH,F)₄·nH₂O.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group P2_1/m).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 5–6; specific gravity 2.54; typically purple; white streak; silky luster; refractive index 1.554; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Cha, IMA status: approved, named in 1977.
Found in potassic feldspar metasomatites at the contact of nepheline and aegirine syenites with limestones.
It is found associated with Canasite, tinaksite.
The name refers to the Chara River, Russia, near which the studied material was discovered.
Collections: Gemstones, Collector Favorites, Rare & Remarkable.