Sugilite is a rare mineral, which is generally only found in the massive form. It possesses a purple, violet and/or pink hue, which is caused by its fundamental manganese content. Most material sold as ”sugilite” is actually a mixture of sugilite and chalcedony quartz, with the latter contributing attractive dark or light mottling, veining or layering against the former’s purple coloration. Making up just 0.05% of the overall production, the highly valuable pure sugilite has a translucent, gel-like appearance and is purple all over.

Brownish-yellow deposits of the mineral were first identified in 1944 by petrologist Ken-Ichi Sugi in his native Japan. However, it wasn’t until the accidental 1979 discovery of purple South African material within the Kuruman manganese mining fields that sugilite came to be regarded as a commercially viable ornamental material.