| | It isn't very often that a new mineral or gemstone comes along, never mind one of such importance as pezzottaite. With its discovery around the beginning of 2003, it was quickly recognised to be something special and possibly a new mineral. Dr. Skip Simmons rushed back to his lab from Tucson 2003, with samples for testing, and along with other scientists from around the world, they quickly learned it was a new beryl-group mineral. (See Note)
Named for Dr. Federico Pezzotta of the Museo Civico, Milano, Italy, this unique beryl has a Mohs hardness of 8, has a raspberry red to light pink range of colors and is generally hexagonal in outline. Found in Madagascar at one location, limited in quantity and quality, many specimen grade crystals were quickly sold in Tucson. A pegmatite mineral, it was found initially in a pocket and was associated with smoky quartz, amazonite, cleavelandite tourmaline, spodumene, lithian muscovite and danburite in the same pocket.
This new beryl group member has a unique composition - as it is high in cesium (Cs20), with a range of 11-18% by weight. Causing the raspberry red to pink color, this is a unique situation that hopefully will repeat itself elsewhere in the world. Some cut stones have been produced, faceted and cabochon, but the majority of the material is specimen grade. At this point in time, the rumor is that the location is worked out and no more material is being found. | 
For full paper & more images, click image. | Note:
• Simmons, W. B., Falster, A. U., Mcclure, S. F., Quinn, E. P., Rossman, G. R., And Hawthorne, F. C. (2003) Gem News: A new saturated purplish pink Cs-"beryl" from Madagascar-preliminary analyses. Gems and Gemology, 39, 50-54.)
• Read the entire formal paper on this mineral: Pezzottaite. Hawthorne, et. al. Mineralogical Record; Sept.-Oct. 2004, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 369-378. |
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