Charoite: Gemstones Information

A mainly purple opaque mineral, forming a rock with orange tinaksite,dark aegirine-augite and green microcline was reported from the Murun massif, between the Chara and Olekma rivers, south-west of Olekminsk,Yakutia, Russia, in 1978. Charoite is K(Ca,Na)2Si4O10(OH, F)H2O, probably monoclinic but found massive. The colour can be described as shades of deep violet to lilac; the hardness is 5–6 and the SG near 2.68 at its highest. The RI is in the range 1.550–1.559. Charoite occurs in potassic feldspar metasomatites at the contact of nepheline and aegririne syenites with limestones. The combination of charoite with some of its associated minerals makes attractive ornaments.