A very durable gemstone, danburite is an excellent choice for jewelry use. Although the mineral isn’t rare, large facetable pieces are scarce. Still, sufficient material exists for gem enthusiasts and adventurous jewelry lovers to add this lovely and underappreciated stone to their collections.
Danburite
Value
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Tried and true gem value factors apply to danburite. All other things being equal, larger, cleaner, better cut and better colored stones have a higher value per carat. However, a truly colorless specimen would surpass a very pale yellow or slightly pink stone in value per carat.
With poor cleavage and a hardness of 7, danburite can withstand the rigors of all jewelry applications, including rings and bracelets. It has good resistance to damage from accidental blows and scratches. In terms of toughness and wearability, it ranks with popular jewelry stones like quartz and topaz.
Danburite’s colors typically range from colorless to light yellow, pale pink, or tan.
Although a modest dispersion means cut danburites won’t show colorful flashes, properly cut gems can still look very bright. Rare specimens may also display chatoyancy.
Most danburites show a sky-blue fluorescence in longwave ultraviolet light and a red phosphorescence when heated. However, some specimens from Sri Lanka and Tanzania show no luminescence at all.
First discovered in Danbury, Connecticut, gem-quality danburite has since been found in many locations all over the world. Notable sources include the following:
Japan: Obira, Bungo, Kyushu, colorless crystals, sometimes gemmy.
Madagascar: yellow crystals at Mt. Bity, often gemmy.
Danburites, especially colorless material from Mexico, typically range in size between 1 and 5 carats. Yellow gems from Myanmar between 7 and 10 carats are very rare.
British Museum of Natural History (London): Myanmar, wine-yellow, step-cut, flawless, 135.61.
Due to some heat sensitivity, avoid steam cleaning this gem. Otherwise, danburite requires no special care. Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more care recommendations.