The more obscure gems are fascinating. According to the University of California, in Berkley, California, benitoite is found only in California, but in my research, I discovered that it has also been found in part of the American Southwest in Belgium. I’m inclined to go with the word of the esteemed university’s claim that is it a California-only gem; it has, in fact, been California’s state gem since 1907. It was first discovered close to the headwaters of the San Benito River and comes in an array of shades of blue. At first, it was thought to be a form of sapphire due to the lovely, lustrous dark blue in the initial discovery. Interestingly, X-ray findings revealed that the internal structure of the crystal was unlike any other crystal on Earth. Benitoite is also fluorescent, issuing a pale blue glow under ultraviolet light.
This mysterious stone is linked to red-black neptunite, white natrolite, and yellow-brown joaquinite in that all these stones were formed in the cracks of serpentine rock under hydrothermal liquid containing iron, cesium, titanium, barium, and manganese. Specimens such as a beautiful blue benitoite and red-black neptunite embedded in white natrolite are among the rarest on Earth and are found only in the part of California called the San Benito River valley.
With such a rare stone, much remains to be discovered about its properties, but a beneficial effect on the pituitary has been identified, and it is a stone useful to herbalists, botanists, and gardeners.
No comments:
Post a Comment