Sugilite

Sugilite (also known as luvulite) is a relatively rare pink to purple cyclosilicate mineral with the complex chemical formula: KNa₂(Fe,Mn,Al)₂Li₃Si₁₂O₃₀. Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. The crystals are rarely found and the form is usually massive. It has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and a specific gravity of 2.75 - 2.80.

Sugilite was first described in 1944 by the Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1948) for an occurrence on Iwagi Islet, Japan where it is found in an aegirine syenite intrusive stock. It is found in a similar environment at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. In the Wessels mine in northern Cape Province of South Africa sugilite is mined from a strata-bound manganese deposit. It is also reported from Liguria and Tuscany, Italy; New South Wales, Australia; and Madhya Pradesh, India.