Charoite

Silicate

5–6Hardness (Mohs)

complexChemistry

1Known origins & mines

Swirling violet-purple silicate from a single Siberian locality: the Chara river area in Yakutia, near the Chara sand desert. Discovered in the 1940s but named only in 1978; still mined seasonally from frozen ground.

Known origins & mines

Sirenevy Kamen Charoite · Russia

Active mining · Legendary locality

Chara's lilac stone: swirling purple charoite occurs only at this Siberian site near the Chara sand dunes — seasonal mining from permafrost …

Mineral family: Silicate

Rhodonite Gem Silica (Batu Bacan)