Danburite is a mineral named after the location where it was first discovered - Danbury, in Connecticut, USA. It was first found in 1839 by Charles Upham Shephard. It is usually colorless, like quartz, but can also be either light pink, aqua blue, pale yellow or yellowish-brown. Extremely rarely, gemstones of danburite are found with a greenish hue.
The crystals are found in a number of localities around the world, including in Australia, Bolivia, Canada and Russia. The colorless crystals of danburite are found most commonly in the USA, in Mexico and in Burma. The light pinkish colored crystals have also been found in Mexico. The yellow colored crystals have largely been mined in Burma. Several locations in Russia have yielded the extremely rare light brown colored crystals of danburite.
The gemstones of danburite range in clarity from transparent to translucent. Gem quality danburite has the pleasing quality of being relatively free from inclusion and the gemstones are usually very clear and bright to the eye. The clarity, resilience, and strong dispersion of danubrite make it valuable as cut stones for jewelry.
Danburite is very hard and quite durable, together with other properties it is quite popularly used as a diamond imitation. Large crystals of danburite above 45 carats are rare. The largest and brightest danburite gemstones are prized possessions - and for the best stones over 10 carats, prices may well be over $50 per carat. However smaller stones may be obtained for only a few dollars per carat.
