Small, cuttable crystals of very rare zektzerite are found only in a mountainous location in Washington state. Faceted pieces would make prized specimens for any collection of American gems.
You’re more likely to find zektzerites in mineral collections, if at all, than in jewelry collections. Cuttable material and, thus, cut stones are exceedingly rare.
Since zektzerites have a hardness of 6, they have greater susceptibility to scratches than more common jewelry stones like quartz and topaz. Their perfect cleavage in two directions and brittle tenacity also make them susceptible to damage from impacts. Due to these factors, any zektzerites in jewelry should have protective settings.
Zektzerites may fluoresce light yellow or blue in ultraviolet (UV) shortwave (SW). However, they have no reaction to UV longwave (LW) and show no phosphorescence in either SW or LW UV.
Crystals may occur in sizes up to 35 mm in size, some with enough transparency to yield small faceted gems of less than 2 carats. Typical crystals range in size from 4-15 mm in size, sometimes perched on riebeckite crystals.
Caring for Zektzerites
Clean zektzerites only with a warm damp cloth, mild detergent, and soft brush. For more care recommendations, consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide.