Gemstone Glossary

Charoite

Discovered in 1976, Charoite is one of the rarest minerals on the market today. To date, it is only found in one location worldwide: the Murun Mountains in Yakutia, Aldan, Russia. The deposit is near the Charo River, from which the mineral received its name. The reason Charoite has not been found in other locations is probably due to the fact that the locality provides a unique combination of chemical and physical conditions needed for the mineral to form.


Charoite occurs in various shades of purple with white swirls, black patches, and occasional golden dendrite formations depending on types of impurities. The mineral is composed of Hydrated Potassium Sodium Calcium Barium Strontium Silicate Hydroxide Fluoride [K(Na, Ca)11(Ba, Sr)Si18O46(OH, F)-nH2O]. It ranks 5.0 on the Moh’s Scale of Hardness with a Specific Gravity of approximately 2.5 - 2.8. Charoite crystals are vitreous to pearly and occur in transparent to translucent forms.

Charoite is quite popular as an ornamental stone and as a gemstone. It is excellent for carvings, cabochons, beads, spheres, or even tiles or inlay. Wearing Charoite is believed to enhance self-esteem, accelerate spiritual growth, soothe hot emotions, help in letting go and enhances the ability to love. In healing, Charoite aids in the treatment of general aches and pains, liver ailments, and blood pressure.

The look of Charoite is unlike any other mineral. With its appearance of purple marble and strange looking swirly strands of fibrous material, Charoite cannot be mistaken with any other minerals. This is one of the reasons Charoite is highly sought after by mineral collectors.