Gem: Kyanite
Weight: 2.63 ct.
Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.1 mm
Clarity: VS / SI -- Very clean for kyanite
Origin: Kalikot, Western Nepal
Treatments: None
Comments:
Nepal Kyanite is a shoe-in for the best quality kyanite in the world. It's color and clarity are entirely too hard to match, for all but the best of the best from Brazil, and a few other small deposits. On average, though, a much larger percentage of Nepal kyanite is much better than any other locality in the world.
This oval was sourced by me on a buying trip to the remote village of Surkhet, which is very close to the mines. I had gone there to look for aquamarine, fancy dravite, and excellent kyanite.
This oval has two colors visible in roughly 60/40 proportion of dark royal blue and light royal blue. The other axis of the crystal is a periwinkle color, but since its a cabochon, it's hard to find that shade plainly visible.
What a clean cabochon of kyanite!! it's really a fantastic example of the mineral type, and a perfect gem for ring or pendant. (yes, kyanite is relatively soft on one axis, but the upward-facing surface of the gem faces the hard axis up, towards any potential blows, so it can really be counted on to be durable up to a hardness of 7, which in my book is plenty for a casual-wear ring.