Almost all of the benitoites came from San Benito County, California, USA.
1906, James Couch found in a white rock of the San Benito River Canyon, blue crystals lining a cavity. He brought back some specimens in San Francisco, thinking it was sapphires.
1907, the benitoite was defined as a mineral species in its own right by the American mineralogist George Louderback.
A 1909 publication, reported two other new species in the same deposit: the Neptunite and the Joaquinite.
The Benitoite is an extremly rare mineral. Crystals are always small, less than 2cm.
1985 was the Benitoite officcially called California State Stone.
The Benitoite can be considered as one of the 12 most expensive gemstones in the world.
With a hardness of 6, the Benitoite in gem quality can be used in jewelry.
Gemstones carved from more than 2 carats are very rare.
The biggest known carved benitoite is exhibited at the Museum of Natural History in New York. It weights 7.6cts.
To learn more about the mineralogy of the benitoite, see Mindat.org.
See the benitoite for sale.
