Gem Profile- Lepidolite and Sugilite

by Judy Ellis

Purple is one of my favorite colors and always has been. Purple comes in many exciting, relaxing and fun shades from the muted purple in my bedroom that brings a feeling of calm to the neon purple we all used to proudly wear in the 80's. Spring also brings us beautiful Lavender crocus and violet blooms to the fun dyes on Easter eggs. It's a versatile and wonderful color. There are several gems and stones that are naturally purple, and many that are dyed purple, two stones that are naturally purple in color are Lepidolite (le-PID-a-lite) and Sugilite (SOO-gel-lite).

About Lepidolite

Lepidolite, or Lithium Mica, is composed of potassium, lithium, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, fluorine, and hydrogen.

It is an uncommon purple mica with a hardness of only 2.5-3, making it quite soft. It has perfect cleavage in one direction and can form small, scaly crystals or large masses with glittery surfaces.

Lepidolite is mostly found in granite pegmatite bodies high in lithium and is classified as a phyllosilicate mineral. Its color is grayish purple with a pearly luster.

Sterling Silver Chain by Marcia Kertel, featuring lepidolite beads

Lepidolite is an igneous rock, meaning it forms within the Earth and is found in veins within granite, often alongside tin.

Its thin layers make Lepidolite very flexible; it can bend without breaking.

Lepidolite is found in Africa, Brazil, Russia, and the United States.

In the U.S., notable locations include San Diego, California, Colorado, Maine, and South Dakota.

San Diego is especially nice for viewing Lepidolite, with the added bonus of great weather!

Lepidolite bead earrings with picture jasper beads by Marcia Kertel

Shedding light on Sugilite

Now for the more neon, "grape jelly" colored mineral, Sugilite. Sugilite was first discovered in 1944 on the island of Iwagi, Shikoku, Japan, by Ken-Ichi Sugi, a Japanese petrologist.

Note: Dr. Sugi's name is pronounced "soo-gee," with a "gee" like "geese." Technically, the stone should be pronounced "soo-gee-lite," but at gem shows, most people say "soo-gel-lite," with a "gel" like "jello."

The specimens found in Japan were yellow-brown and had no gemological value. A later deposit in South Africa produced the bright purple variety popular for jewelry and collectors.

Bonnie DeHart's husband, Jerry, cabbed this Russian Sugilite, and Bonnie wrapped it into a pendant with 14kt gold-filled wire.

Sugilite has a complex chemical formula, composed of potassium, sodium, iron, manganese, aluminum, lithium, silicon, and oxygen.

It forms as an intrusive inclusion along with other inosilicates and belongs to the cyclosilicate mineral family.

Sugilite has a hexagonal prismatic crystal structure, but due to its unusual form, it is generally not faceted. It does have a hardness of 5.5-6.5 and cabochons beautifully.

To care for your Sugilite, clean it with lukewarm soapy water and rinse well.

Keep it away from steam, sudden temperature changes, and ultrasonic cleaners.

This Sugilite pendant by Sherry Luke is wrapped with shining sterling silver wire.

Most Sugilite is opaque, ranging from deep to lighter purple, and can be marbled with yellow, white, or even black.

Very rarely, a translucent specimen is found.

These are so rare that they are usually seen only in museums or the display cases of wealthy collectors.

Joan Madouse wrapped this Sugilite cabochon with silver-plated wire.

Sugilite, though increasingly available in the market, is not easy to purchase in large quantities.

The gem-grade stones in South Africa lie 3,200 feet below the surface, making mining difficult.

Sugilite is also found in Canada, Italy, Australia, India, and Japan, but these deposits do not produce stones of the same quality as those from South Africa.

Flower Sugilite and other Trade Names

Some lepidolite on the market today is sold under the trade name "flower sugilite." This is lepidolite, not sugilite.

Also be careful of sugilite jasper (it's likely jasper) and purple turquoise (real sugilite can have a black matrix like turquoise, but it shouldn't be called turquoise - there's no such thing as purple turquoise).

Flower sugilite cabochon, which is lepidolite.

Lepidolite and Sugilite Metaphysical Meanings

Lepidolite is also known as the "peace stone." It is believed to help relieve pain, support nerve and joint health, and aid in setting and achieving goals.

Lepidolite is said to protect the wearer from negative influences, relieve stress, promote restful sleep, drive away negativity, and attract good luck.

Sugilite is considered a love stone, representing both spiritual love and wisdom. It helps open and align the chakras to love and protects the soul from hurt caused by love.

Sugilite can aid in forgiveness, relieve spiritual tension, bring clarity to difficult situations, and is thought to alleviate headaches when held to the forehead. It encourages positive thoughts and gives the wearer strength in facing challenges.

Resources & Recommended Reading

Sugilite, International Gem Society on www.gemsociety.org
Sugilite on Wikipedia
Lepidolite on Wikipedia
Flower Sugilite on MinDat.org
Sugilite Gemstones and Jewelry on hubpages.com

Gem Profile- Lepidolite and Sugilite

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