Tugtupite

Tugtupite was first discovered in 1957 in Tugtup Agtakorfia, Ilimaussaq, Greenland, and was named in 1962 after its discovery locality. It is very rare and only found in small amounts in a few other places in the world: Poudrette Quarry and Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Mt Karnasurt and Mt Alluaiv, Kola Peninsula, Russia.

Tugtupite can be found in a variety of colors including: pinkish-white, pink, reddish-pink, and (rarely) blue or green. Tugtupite fluoresces intense deep cherry-red when exposed to ultra-violet light, and displays weak pink phosphorescence for short periods. As Tugtupite has a highly active fluorescence, it even fluoresces in normal sunlight.

Tugtupite is composed of Sodium, Aluminium, Beryllium, Silicon, Oxygen and Chlorine (Na4AlBeSi4O12Cl). It occurs in both transparent and translucent forms, often in a massive habit. Tugtupite has a Hardness of 4.0 on the Moh’s Scale with a Specific Gravity of 2.3.

As the color red is normally related to love and romance, Tugtupite is often referred to as a Romance Stone. For ages the Eskimo of Greenland have understood the power of Tugtupite. Legend has it that lovers can cause the stone to glow fiery red from the heat of their romance. The brilliance and vibrant colors present the intensity of their love.

Tugtupite is highly sought after because of its rarity, beauty and active fluorescence. The gems are nearly always in cabochon form because of the massive habit. Tugtupite specimens with strong shades of red that can be found only in Greenland are the more expensive forms.