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Petalite
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A rare mineral, Petalite offers some beautiful pastel colors including
yellow, pink and colorless.
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It was discovered on the Swedish island of Ut Arfvedson by the Brazilian
mineralogist Jos Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva while he was visiting
Sweden towards the end of the 18th Century.
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The name “Petalite” is derived from the Greek words “Petalon” (meaning
“Leaf”) and “Lithos” (meaning “Stone”) alluding to its leaf-like
cleavage.
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Petalite is most commonly found in cleavable masses without crystal
form. However, it sometimes forms nice crystals occurring as tabular or
columnar prisms with a glassy appearance. These fine quality crystals
are rather rare and fragile. For this reason Petalite is only
occasionally cut as a gemstone.
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As it rarely occurs in large
crystals, bright faceted gems with a vitreous luster seldom reach
3 Carats. Although it is a true collectors’ gem, Petalite Jewelry
is a great conversation starter, especially when chances are no
one else has it!
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Petalite is found in Brazil, Australia, Sweden, Finland, U.S.A.,
Zimbabwe, Namibia and Italy. The major sources for faceted gems are
Brazil and Namibia.
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