Natural Grandidierite 1.55ct Oval Cut

A pale seafoam oval, the softest and coolest color of the grandidierites in stock, sitting between mint green and pale aqua with a milky, silky translucence rather than glassy clarity. The tone stays light and even across most of the face. A band of warm brownish-tan mineral inclusion runs across the lower center with a few dark crystal specks alongside it, and a smaller rust-colored patch marks the girdle at the lower left. The crown facets are broad and gently defined, which gives the stone a satin luster rather than sharp sparkle, and the profile is notably flat.

Grandidierite is an aluminium boron silicate, first described from southern Madagascar in 1902 and named after the naturalist Alfred Grandidier. It remains one of the scarcer species to find faceted, mainly because most rough is translucent rather than transparent, so stones like this one are cut for color rather than for brilliance. Untreated. At 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale it is hard enough for everyday wear, and at 8.5x6.5mm this is an accessible way into a species that is difficult to own at any size.

Natural grandidierite, untreated, sold loose.