Love charoite

I’d forgotten I had some charoite stones left – these earrings show them off perfectly.

Charoite is a fascinating gemstone. It was only discovered by the world in general in 1978. Amazing. It is only found in areas within Russia and although local people may have known about it earlier, it was a well kept secret. The best examples of charoite are deep lavender purple, which is my best and most favourite colour.

The stones I have are not the most prized but they have some of the deep purple mixed in with pale lilac and creamy tones. The swirls are so pretty and the small oval stones go perfectly in earring designs. This is what charoite can look like when it comes out of the ground. Sometimes it looks less purple and the rock its encased in can look very dull and uninteresting. Probably why it took so long for people to realise it existed.