Benitoite

Benitoite is a very very rare gemstone which is found only in San Benito County near San Benito River, in California . It gets its name from the same place. The rarity of Benitoite gives it enough reasons to compete with Diamonds. Benitoite is derived from Spanish word which means 'blessed'. From October, 1985, Benitoite is deemed to be the official gemstone of the state of California. Benitoite of inferior quality occurs in Mont St. Hilaire,Quebec,Canada.

The chemical name of Benitoite is Barium Titanium Silicate. The gemstone is dichroic ,that is ,it shows 2 colors. Normally it is sapphire-blue or purplish blue, but when viewed from a certain angle, it appears colorless or even pink and orange. It was often confused with Sapphire for its color. Benitoite seldom has facets and such varieties are again very rare. The gems are usually not more than 1 carat .

Benitoite has an uncommon hexagonal crystalline shape and produces triangular crystals. It possesses a fluorescent trait and emits a light blue color when brought under ultra-violet light. Benitoite has associations with joaquinite, neptunite and natrolite, which are some uncommon minerals.

As a fairly durable gemstone, it is used to make jewelry in the form of rings ,earrings,and pendants. Being rare, its price can shoot from $500 to $2000 per carat. It is more of a collector's gemstone than a regular jewelry article. Benitoite is exclusively mined in Benitoite Gem Mine whose owner is Dave Schreiner.

Occasionally referred to as the 'Blue Diamond' , an astonishing fact is, Benitoite is merely not rare but one of the 10 rarest of gemstones in the world.