Danburite: Rough and Cut (Ref: DANBURITE1)

The Danburite crystal weighs 83 carats (16+grams) and the cut Danburite oval weighs 7.20 carats. Danburite crystals are notoriously damaged, and finding a sizeable one with no dings and some clarity is remarkably difficult. Danburite has a hardness of 7 - 7.5, and has a higher refractory index than a diamond, so as a cut stone it is quite sparkly. It is a Calcium Borosilicate, and it is taken out of a zinc mine by enterprising Mexican miners. Lately production has been very poor, with primarily "lechosa," or "milky" crystals being found. The entire chizel shaped termination is pristine. There is some side damage on the piece, but the clarity and intact termination makes up for that. I got the cut stone out of an old collection, it was facetted around 20 years ago. the price was right, so I'm passing it along. The two pics show the front and back of the crystal.