Kunzite: The Lilac Stone
6th April 2020
Kunzite is mainly found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Brazil, Madagascar and California (US) where it was first discovered. Indeed, it is in 1902 that George Frederick Kunz, Chief Gemologist at Tiffany & Co, first described the stone.
The following year, the name kunzite was given to honor the stone expert. Tiffany & Co introduced kunzite in its collection and became the first sponsor of this lilac stone alongside with tanzanite and morganite.
Two Rough Kunzite Stones.
Two Cut & Polished Kunzites.
Kunzite appears in various shades of pink and purple, from pastel to intense tones. Its body is generally clear with limited visible inclusions. The delicate stone is a variety of the pyroxene mineral spodumene family and reaches a hardness of 6.5 on Mohs scale. Similar to tanzanite, kunzite is a pleochroic stone which displays two cleavage directions and so, two shades of pinkish-purple. This physical property has to be considered when cutting the stone in order to best enhance its color.
Because kunzite is still quite unknown and discreet on the market, it is a rather accessible stone. Furthermore, it is common to find good quality stones of important carat-weight, which is noticeable in Tiffany jewels.
Tiffany & Co highlighted the fine stone in several statement pieces such as the famous Bird on a Rock brooches and the impressive kunzite and diamond necklace create for the 175th brand’s anniversary in 2012. Every year, Tiffany honors the lilac stone in its high jewellery collections such as this spring with these Extraordinary classic pair of earrings.
Kunzite Jewels, Tiffany & Co. Legends on pictures.
Apart from Tiffany & Co, Margherita Burgener also bet on kunzite. This Italian jeweler repeatedly uses this stone in her fine jewellery lines. Her feminine and elegant jewels are often seen at auctions and always convinced the audience (prices achieved 8 - 15k€). She tends to associate kunzite with amethyst and favors pendant earrings with stones of various cuts. Margherita Burgener’s creations are present at La Rinascente in Milan as well as in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Kunzite Jewels, Margherita Burgener.
Kunzite isn’t particularly exploited in high jewelry yet. However, the big names of our sector already offered a few creations enhancing the beauty of this uncommon stone. Recently, Boghossian unveiled two purple kunzite rings, and Dior Joaillerie created a double ring matching an intense pink kunzite with a pink pearl.
Other jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard, Verdura and Buccellati also gave a chance to the lilac stone in the past years.
Kunzite Jewels. Legends on pictures.