PIETERSITE

PIETERSITE

Pietersite was named after Sid Pieters who discovered it in Namibia in 1962. Today "Pietersite" is a general term used to describe dark blue-grey breccia aggregate made up mainly of Hawk’s Eye and Tiger’s Eye.

Pietersite is a trigonal, fibrous aggregate crystal structure. It is a pseudomorph of quartz. It began as a crocidolite but over the years the crocidolite fibers began to be replaced by quartz. It is made up of both tiger eye and hawk eye breccia aggregate in its varying degrees of alteration.

Due to the presence of crocidolite inclusion within a microcrystalline silica host, Pietersite displays a unique swirls or streaks of gold or orange. Note: It is the crocidolite fibers that is responsible for Tiger Eye's chatoyancy effect.

Pietersite is easily identified by this unique chaotic cat eye effect, caused by brecciated crocidolite inclusions. Depending on the density of crocidolite inclusions, Pietersite can have the appearance either gray-blue, orange-brown or an equal mixture of the two.

Pietersite colors include blues, rusty reds, golds and browns. The blues range from light blue to a dark midnight blue color.

Pietersite has a hardness ranging from 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. This means that it is durable and resilient for everyday wear. It is opaque and displays a gorgeous silky luster. It has a moderate to strong green and white fluorescence.

There are only two places where Pietersite is found: in Henan Province, China and Namibia, South Africa.

The Chinese Pietersite often occurs in shades of gold, red and blue color segments, which sometimes also include a deep golden brown. South African Pietersite has a bluish color.

To maximize its chatoyancy which resembles the many reflections of silky, thread-like streaks of light, Pietersite is usually cut en cabochon. Cabochons can be in a variety of shapes such as oval, drop-shaped, round, rectangular, triangular, square or fancy-shaped.

Pietersite is not known to be treated or enhanced in any way.

Pietersite is also known as a Tempest Stone, in reference to the appearance of a storm in the gemstone. It is a highly charged gemstone that helps augment focus and the will.

It is a stone of protection against storms, fires, hurricanes and other elements and encourages the wearer to remain calm.

It gives self-confidence and can help cure addictions.

Pietersite can balance blood pressure and body temperature.

Pietersite is associated with Swadhisthana or the sacral chakra which is related to the reproductive system and governs pleasure, creativity, joy and enthusiasm.

Pietersite's beautiful storm-like patterns and vivid colors, especially its blues, make it a center of attention jewelry gemstone. It is suitable for both men and women, and Pietersite can be worn as a pendant, earring, bracelet or ring. It has a gorgeous shine and looks good with any type of settings.

To clean your pietersite, simply use a soft cloth with soapy water. Remember to rinse well to remove soapy residue.