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Diaspore
Ken Larsen
Specimen | Catalog Number | Locality | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
Diaspore | NMNH G11475 | Turkey | 44.48 ct |
Diaspore | NMNH G11476 | Turkey | 159.33 ct |
Gift of Milenyum Mining Ltd. in 2014.
Gem quality diaspore only occurs in the mountainous region of Anatolia, Turkey. The gem exhibits the optical property called “color change.” Diaspore gems turn from yellowish-green to purplish-pink depending on the light source. Sizes over five carats are very rare. Gem quality crystals were first discovered in the early 1980s, but have only been commercially mined since the early 2000s. Gem color-change diaspore is completely natural; it has not been enhanced or treated. This 44.48ct faceted oval gem and the 159.33ct cat’s eye oval cabochon are the largest gem diaspores in the National Gem Collection. The two gems were donated by Milenyum Mining under the tradename of Csarite™.