Grandidierite Facts Expalined

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Does Grandidierite Make a Good Jewelry Stone?

Grandidierite is one of the only a few crystals which are famous and rare, its hardness of 7.7 makes it an excellent git for earrings making, however, its cleavage in two directions poses hardships in cutting.

This doesn't mean it is a terrible stone to cut; there are quite splendid lapidaries who have made amazing jewelry from this stone. I even have made outstanding facets in this stone myself.

Grandidierite was first known to man in 1902, and later another mine in Sri Lanka was found in the early 2000s. 

New mines in Africa and Madagascar were recorded that could cause the production of better transparent Grandidierite. Most of the stones that have been coming from Sri Lanka were commonly translucent.

Grandidierite uncut stone

How to Identify a Grandidierite

One effect that defines Grandidierite is its pleochroism effect, which shows 3 colors, relying on the viewer's angle. The colors displayed through Grandidierite are darkish green, darkish blue-green, and colorless.

Its hardness is likewise a factor you can use to identify this unique stone, but it shouldn't be conducted on finished grandidierite stones. Some stones have characteristics like lazulites which display similar pleochroism colors like Grandidierite; in this case, RI and SG tests should be conducted. Lazulite's RI and SG are slightly higher than that of Grandidierite.

The more iron (Fe) Grandidierite contains, the bluer it looks (Grandidierite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information - Gem Society, n.d.) narrates so. 

Are There Synthetic Grandidierites?

Synthetic granodiorites have been produced mainly for specific research purposes. For example, the recently discovered ominelite and werdingite in pegmatite occurrence. There have been no reports on commercializing the synthetic granodiorite and no data on treatments and enhancements for the stone.

Where are Grandidierites Found?

The only place that produces good-quality Grandidierite transparent is Madagascar in the highlands of Cap Andrahomana, the southern of the country. The country has another mine in Tranomaro just near Cap Andrahomana.

Sri Lanka was the first country to produce grandidierite stone. It has mines in Kolonne that have produced these stones for decades. New York, Wyoming, has also contributed to the production of grandidierite stones.

Algeria, Antarctica, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Malawi, Repanga Island, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, and Suriname.

How big are grandidierite stones?

Usually, translucent Grandidierite weighs about 1-10 carats and could grow up to an inch in size, which of course, most of its material is gradually opaque.

How to Care for Grandidierite Jewelry

Grandidierite gems are good for gemstones, most of these stones contain inclusions, but they can make good jewelry products. Don't use mechanical cleaning systems while cleaning a grandidierite stone. Instead, use a soft brush, detergents, and warm water to clean the stone. A 7.5 hardness isn't something you should trust when doing hard household chores, so put away your grandidierite ring while doing this kind of chore.

What is Grandidierite worth?

Forbes has quoted grandidierite stone to cost $20,000 if its quality meets the standards. I have written in many of my articles that scarcity in the gems market is the number one factor to make any gem exceedingly expensive. 

Why is Grandidierite so expensive?

Rarity, the stone is so rare that its price has to be high, and most of the stones mined tend to be so opaque that they are valueless. Also, if a mine is discovered, it quickly depletes something that adds to the rarity factor.

Also, Madagascar is the only country producing gems that meet the high-quality grade; this makes the stone exceptionally expensive. It all comes down to rarity.

Grandidierite stone

What is Grandidierite good for?

 Grandidierite enables you to choose the right choices and widens your doors to positive thinking. It is like the third eye to you. It also makes your communication skills a bomb, so people who have communication forbid would benefit from this stone.

Some people believe the stone can be used as a touchstone; all you have to do is place it in your bag and touch it repeatedly throughout the day. Grandidierite is good for heart and throat chakra since meditators lay it flat on their body to help them align with this kind of force.

Meditators also believe that the stone can help you focus in case lots of interrupting thoughts keep messing up your concentration during the meditating process. I believe this is a big solution for people who struggle with concentrating issues since the stone triggers your mind and directs it to the destination you are aiming at.

Although, there is a lack of proven information on this since the stone is just a newly discovered one.

What is the best color for Grandidierite?

Every grandidierite color is valuable, but neon blue stands out, making it the best color grandidierite could ever grow in. The gem's unique blue-green color results from the magnesium, aluminum, boron, and iron mixture.

What is Grandidierite made of?

Gemology breaks down the chemical compounds of grandidierite stone as magnesium and aluminum borosilicate, which are basically and slightly similar to garnet in terms of hardness on the Mohs scale. This makes it an excellent stone for jewelry. 

Grandidierite forms in pegmatite rocks which form by molten magma pushing its way from underneath the mantle to the earth's surface. Gas bubbles form immediately on magma cooling, which creates the occurrence of fissures and cracks. 

Silicone crystals then form after the trapped gas bubbles escape, with time, and they later turn into tiny places for liquids to concentrate in, which later dry up to form the crystals. There is a lack of proof in gemology claims that the mineral impurities aid in the creation of grandidierite stones.

What Is The Meaning Of Grandidierite?

As a newly discovered gem, Grandidierite lacks proper and approved information to back up its meaning and what it can do in the spiritual world to those who engage gems in functions similar to this one, as I wrote earlier in this article. 

I believe just like any other gems that spend years beneath the ground, forming and collecting all sorts of power, Grandidierite will be analyzed in no time.

Reference:

Grandidierite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information - Gem Society. (n.d.). International Gem Society. https://www.gemsociety.org/article/grandidierite-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/