Sugilite
Species
Very Rare · KNa₂(Fe,Mn,Al)₂Li₃Si₁₂O₃₀
A rare potassium sodium lithium iron manganese aluminium silicate found in only a handful of locations worldwide. Its vivid purple colour is unusual among silicate minerals. Found by the petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi on Iwagi Islet, Japan, it was only described as a species in 1976; the gem material comes from the manganese mines of the Kalahari in South Africa.
Identity
- Formula
- KNa₂(Fe,Mn,Al)₂Li₃Si₁₂O₃₀
- Chemical class
- Silicate
- Also known as
- Royal azel (trade name), Lavulite
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Habits
- Massive, Granular
- Fracture
- Subconchoidal
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 2.74 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous, Resinous
- Colors
- purple, violet, pink, magenta
- Streak
- white
- Transparency
- Opaque, Translucent
Geology
- Origins
- Igneous, Metamorphic
- Host rocks
- Granite
- Associated minerals
- Aegirine, Albite, Pectolite
- Geography
- South Africa (Northern Cape), Japan, Canada, Australia
Classification
- Rarity
- Very Rare
- Gem quality
- Yes
Arcane properties
- Affinity
- Arcane, Mind
- Effects
- Mind, Warding
- Planar origin
- Material Plane
Sources
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Sugilite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
- Sugilite. Gemdat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
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