2.02 ct. English Witherite
Color: Faint Yellow
Clarity: Translucent
Origin: Alston Moor Dist., Cumbria, England
Cut: Oval Brilliant
Treatments: None
Measurements: 8.3 x 6.5 mm
An extremely uncommon gem material, Witherite is a barium mineral that doesn't often form with sufficient clarity to facet. Aside from occasional pieces from the Cave-in-Rock deposits in Illinois, the only other source would be the very old finds in Cumbria, England.
The English stones are a far bit more uncommon as you may imagine, so we were quite happy to come up with a great 2 ct. example recently. Very respectable transparency for the species, the gem is a soft yellowish-white, a touch more color than we see in US examples. An experienced hand has given it a very fine polish for a mineral with a hardness of 3 on the Moh's scale. As is expected with this material, it has a bluish-white fluorescence under UV light. Rare locale for gem material, even within 'rare stone' circles.