Kunzite Crystal Bracelet Grade A

Kunzite is the pink-to-lilac variety of spodumene - a lithium aluminium silicate, LiAlSi₂O₆ - coloured by traces of manganese. It is pleochroic: the same stone shows different tones from different angles, violet from one face, paler pink from another, so cutters orient it to catch the deepest colour up the length of the crystal.

The colour is gentle and clear, soft violet through delicate rose, and the stone is usually quite transparent. Mohs 6.5–7, near the quartzes in hardness, but with a perfect cleavage that makes it more fragile than that number suggests - it parts cleanly if struck.

Strong sunlight can fade kunzite’s colour over long exposure, which is why it has been called an evening stone - finest seen, and best kept, out of harsh light.

Asked often

Why does it look like two colours?
Kunzite is pleochroic - it shows different tones from different viewing angles, violet from one direction and paler pink from another. The shift is natural to the crystal.

Is the pink natural?
The lilac-pink comes from manganese in the spodumene. Some kunzite is irradiated to deepen colour, and natural stones can fade in strong light.

Is it fragile?
Harder than it is tough - Mohs 6.5–7, but with a perfect cleavage that parts cleanly under a sharp knock. It wears well with a little care and dislikes hard impacts.

How do I care for it?
Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry. Keep it out of prolonged strong sun, which can fade the colour, and spare the beads sharp knocks. Keep the cord dry.

1. Worn on either wrist, over the hand, on a durable elastic cord.
2. Turn it in the light to see the two-tone shift - violet to pink.
3. Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry.
4. Keep it out of prolonged strong sun, which can fade the colour, and spare the beads sharp knocks - kunzite parts cleanly along its cleavage.

Kunzite has long been called an evening stone, finest kept out of harsh light. That care suits a gentle colour that strong sun can pale.

The elastic cord lasts longest kept dry - remove before swimming, bathing, or applying scent. Do not soak. Avoid sharp knocks.

• Stone: Kunzite · pink spodumene
• Composition: LiAlSi₂O₆ · manganese-coloured
• Crystal system: Monoclinic
• Hardness: Mohs 6.5–7 · perfect cleavage
• Character: Lilac-pink · pleochroic · transparent
• Band: Durable elastic cord
• Origin: Afghanistan / Brazil
• Care: Soft cloth · out of strong sun · avoid sharp knocks

Kunzite is a stone of the modern era: it was first described in 1902 from material found in California, and named for George Frederick Kunz, the gemmologist to the great American jewellers of the day. It was among the first gemstones identified and named by a working gem expert rather than handed down from antiquity - a colour as old as the earth, recognised only a century ago.

Spodumene, kunzite’s parent mineral, is also one of the principal ores of lithium - the metal at the heart of modern batteries. The same crystal family that gives this gentle pink gem powers the device in your pocket; the gem is simply its rarest, clearest expression.