Danburite Gemstone

Danburite Gemstone

Danburite derives its name from the place in which it was first discovered, Danbury, Connecticut, United States in 1839. It was the eminent American mineralogist Mr. Charles Upham Shephard who was credited to have discovered it. Nonetheless, the deposit at Danbury was buried underneath the city and most of the Danburite on the market today comes from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Danburite is of a calcium boric silicate chemical composition. It occurs in an orthorhombic, prismatic crystal structure.

Danburite occurs in a wide-ranging of colors from colorless to very light-pink, light-yellow to brown. However, the high-quality material is usually colorless and transparent and is often faceted as a gemstone.

Danburite has a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. It has a greasy to vitreous luster and gives off a lovely sky-blue fluorescence.

Top grade danburite gemstones occur with excellent transparency, with very few inclusions or none that can be seen by the naked eye even in larger sizes. It also occurs with an imperfect cleavage.

Although Danburite is a fairly commonly occurring mineral, gemstone quality facetable material is very rare. It is not a well-known gemstone but rather is classified as a collector’s gem.

Danburite can be confused with clear quartz and colorless topaz. However, Danburite has a unique prismatic crystal structure and a different chemical composition from that of quartz and topaz. The confusion rises because Danburite sometimes occurs encrusted with quartz druzy. Usually, quartz will pseudomorph and replace Danburite altogether.

Danburite also has a hardness that is above that of quartz, and gives off a sky-blue fluorescence, not to mention it has an imperfect cleavage.

Danburite also occurs in large sizes, which is rare in colorless gemstones such as rock crystal and colorless topaz which Danburite is often mistaken with.

Topaz has a hardness of 8 whereas quartz' is 7 and Danburite is 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Another big difference.

When Danburite is faceted, it is usually for gem aficionados and collectors with some few exceptions for jewelry designers. Danburite is used as a diamond alternative. Therefore, it is usually diamond-cut. Other shapes include ovals, cushions, rounds, trillions, octagons or emerald cuts, and pears.

Danburite is not known to be treated or enhanced in any way nor are they known to be any imitation Danburite or synthetic Danburite.

Danburite is an excellent gemstone for crystal alternative healing. It gives a pure vibration and energy that is both powerful and healing. It is also a powerful spiritual crystal connected to the third eye and the crown chakras. It is believed that Danburite can help clear past karma and help release emotional pain.

Danburite is said to be a brilliant healer of various ailments related to gallbladder, liver, and sexual organs. It detoxifies the body and maintains optimum functions of the body system.

Danburite can help enhance your inner vision. It is said to facilitate astral travel. It gives courage, removes grief, stress and anxiety.

Danburite is connected with the zodiacal sign of Leo.

Danburite gemstones are perfectly suitable for any type of jewelry. Because of its excellent transparency and large sizes, it is ideal for bold fashion jewelry designs such as large pendants, brooches, pins and rings. Due to its brilliance, Danburite is a unique and beautiful alternative for diamonds and white sapphire. Furthermore, it is much more affordable.

Although Danburite is harder than quartz, it can still be scratched by other harder gemstones such as diamond, topaz, spinel and sapphire. Danburite is sensitive to heat and therefore it should not be exposed to extreme temperature such as steam cleaners. This will permanently damage your one-of-a-kind Danburite.

To clean your lovely Danburite simple use a soft cloth with mild warm soapy water. Remember to rinse well and remove the soapy residue from your gorgeous Danburite.

Other Danburite gemstone deposits have also been found in Bolivia, Burma, Japan, Madagascar and Russia.