Charoite is a lilac stone of the pyroxene group. It was found in 1949 and only 15 years later it was identified as an independent unique mineral. It was named after the Chara River in the Baikal region, where its deposit was discovered. Today it remains the only one on Earth; there are no rocks anywhere even with single inclusions of charoite. The Siberian deposits, called Lilac Stone, cover an area of 10 km². Mines are not used to extract it; the first blocks were found directly on the surface of the earth; now shallow wells are drilled in the soil and filled with a special substance, which greatly increases in volume upon contact with water.
History began with uranium
It all started with the search for uranium in 1949. The geological expedition led by V. Ditmar conscientiously described all the rocks and minerals found. But! They looked for uranium and paid attention to all the rocks and minerals associated with uranium. And the purple pebbles were identified as lilac cummingtonite; it did not attract much attention.
Ten years later, another expedition worked in the same area. It was led by Yu. Rogov. His wife, V. Rogova, also worked on the expedition. Here's what she says:
“Not far from the place where our party conducted research, Leningrad geologists led by Vladimir Ditmar worked after the war. My husband went to ask if the houses of the Leningraders had survived. Near one of the dilapidated huts, he noticed a block of an unfamiliar stone and brought me several pieces for analysis.”
It was not only in the field that the stone could not be identified. For a long time, scientists tried to classify the mineral. Which is no wonder, given the complex composition of the mineral.
Polished charoite ore in the Museum of Geology SB RAS
Charoit, charait and nimble Yankee
Purple stones were found on the banks of the Chara River. Therefore - charoite . The name is not only “geographical”, but also gives an idea of its properties. The enchanting beauty of the stone - here it is, enchanting.
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
Interesting : V. Rogova, when she submitted an application to the Commission on New Minerals, called the stone “ charaite ”. The commission did not accept the name (too similar to the already registered Cheralite). And the application was rejected. About the cunning American - a little lower.
How to distinguish real Charoite from a fake?
Charoite is an extraordinary gem with the only deposit on the planet. It is difficult to obtain the rock, but it is impossible to grow it artificially. Therefore, on the market there are all kinds of plastic, ceramics or glass, painted in the appropriate shade.
Also read: Carborundum - silicon carbide
Often, it is easy to distinguish a low-grade imitation from a natural nugget, but sometimes there are high-grade fakes, the origin of which can only be determined by a specialist. You can distinguish a fake yourself by carefully looking at the structure of the stone - a natural creation of nature contains impurities of other minerals, small cracks that create a unique pattern.
In addition, natural charoite will be cool to the touch, without heating up from prolonged contact with the warm skin of the hands, while plastic will become warm. Don’t forget about safe shopping in jewelry stores that provide quality certificates for the jewelry they offer.
Origin
The rocks at the sites where the mineral was found date back to the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous periods. Rock with charoites is sometimes called charoitite .
In general, the origin of charoite is still controversial among experts. It seems that charoites are formed “as a result of metasomatic replacement of host strata.”
Or maybe they are of magmatic origin. There is a connection with carbonatite alkaline melts... It’s not for us, geologists, to puzzle over this
