Kunzite Kunzite is a beautiful light to deep pinkaavender purple member of the spodumene family. It is trichroic -- displaying different colors from different angles. Kunzite was named for George Kunz, who in the lafter part of the 19th century was chief gem buyer for Tiffany & Co. and a pioneer of the science now known as gemology. Top kunzite can give enduring beauty equal to that of Ceylonese pink sapphire and Brazilian pink topaz. And, larger sizes are readily available since ft is quite common for this species to produce stones of over 50 carats! It is important to bear in mind, however, that kunzite requires an understanding of its unusual characteristics. As part of the normal finishing process, more than half of all kunzite has been subjected to either irradiation or heating to induce cherry blossom pink and light plum purple hues. Care should be exercised not to subject the gem to hot lights which can, and do, cause the color to pale. Perhaps the best way to avoid fading is to consider kunzite more of an evening gem! To maintain the brilliance of this gemstone, ft should be immersed in a jewelry cleaner or in lukewarm soapy water and cleaned with a small bristle brush. Do not use a home ultrasonic machine. Care should be taken to protect it from scratches, sharp blows, and direct strong light. Kunzite is found mainly in Afghanistan and Brazil.   Jewelers of America Back to Gemstone List