Spodumene is a lithium-containing silicate, which was once the primary source of the metal and remains so when very high purities are required. Initially only associated with pale yellow to colorless hues, spodumene rose to prominence as a gemstone around the turn of the twentieth century after the discoveries of chromium-containing emerald-green hiddenite and manganese-containing pinkish-to-purplish kunzite. While spodumene crystals are typically large in size, their directions of vulnerable cleavage and/or parting tend to complicate the faceting process, and it should also be noted that the hues of some kunzites have been color-enhanced via heat treatment and may subsequently fade after prolonged exposure to sunlight.

The species’ rather unattractive name is derived from the Greek for “ash-colored”, spodumenos, in reference to the coloration of many of its crystals, while the above-mentioned gem varieties are named in honor of the prominent mineralogists George F. Kunz and William E. Hidden.