Painite
For half a century the rarest mineral on Earth: three crystals, then a few thousand.
- Family
- Painite
- Formula
- CaZrAl₉O₁₅(BO₃)
- Mohs
- 8
- System
- Hexagonal
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Science
Painite is a borate that needs zirconium and boron to crystallise together, elements that almost never coexist. A single crystal was found in Mogok in 1951 and recognised as a new mineral in 1957; a second appeared in 1979, a third in 2001. Finds from 2005 onwards produced thousands of crystals, most opaque.
- Mineral
- Painite
- Formula
- CaZrAl₉O₁₅(BO₃)
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Mohs hardness
- 8
- Specific gravity
- 4.01
- Refractive index
- 1.787 to 1.816
- Lustre
- Vitreous
- Colours
- Red-brown, Orange-red, Pink
Composition
CaZrAl₉O₁₅(BO₃). Made of Calcium, Zirconium, Aluminium, Oxygen, Boron, with trace Chromium, Vanadium responsible for colour.
Origin
- MyanmarMogok, Ohngaing
Filled dots are primary sources
Rarity
Listed by Guinness as the rarest gem mineral. Only two crystals were known until 1979, and gem-clean faceted stones remain a handful.
- 1 Abundant
- 2 Common
- 3 Uncommon
- 4 Rare
- 5 Exceptional
Hardness
Painite sits at 8 on the Mohs scale. It will scratch glass and holds a polish in daily wear.
Energy
Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.
Chakras
- Root
- Heart
Element
- Fire
Zodiac
- Aries
Planets
- Mars
Properties
- Vitality
- Grounding
- Rarity itself
- Resolve
Lore
Named after Arthur Pain, the British gemmologist who owned the first specimen, which he thought was ruby. The Natural History Museum in London holds it.
It has no lore of its own; it is a stone whose entire meaning is scarcity.
- CountTwo known crystals from 1957 to 1979.
- NamedFor Arthur C. D. Pain, 1957.