Sugilite occurs as a microcrystalline aggregate and ranges in color from dark to medium purple, with variable amounts of dark or light mottling when chalcedony is present. Although a small percentage of the rough is translucent, most pieces seen on the market are opaque. The pure purple specimens which are nearly 100% Sugilite are 5 1/2 - 6 in hardness, while the pieces containing chalcedony may be 6 1/2 or higher and often have a more reddish purple color and/or distinctive patterning. 苏纪石是一种微晶聚合体，颜色变化范围由深紫到中紫，因伴生石英的存在而形成深浅不一的斑点。尽管有极少量的原石是透明或半透明体，大部分市面流通可见的通常是不透明体。舒含量接近100%的纯紫色标本硬度通常为5.5-6，而含伴生石英的标本硬度则可达到6.5或6.5以上，并且颜色更接近紫红且有独特的纹路。
This beautiful purple gem was discovered during mining operations for manganese in the 1970's, but it didn't begin to make a market impact until the 1980's. It is expensive as opaque stones go, even though the known deposit is quite large, this is primarily because the one and only source is remote (in the Kalahari Desert near Botswana), and it must be mined 3200 feet underground. I have no doubt that it would be buried still, if it were not a profitable sideline of on-going industrial manganese mining.In the early 80's, attempts were made to market Sugilite under various tradenames such as "Royal Azel", "Wesselite" and "Lavulite", but none of these caught on. The translucent, dark purple (grape jelly) pieces are referred to as "gel Sugilite" and are very expensive due to their rarity. It's estimated that less than .05% of the gems mined from the deposit are in this gel form. The gem has recently received a boost in popularity, though, as have many unfamiliar opaque gems, via the home shopping channels and internet auctions sites which feature them in sterling silver jewelry.There are no known enhancements of this gem and it has not been synthesized. However, a plastic "Sugilite" simulant is sometimes used in inexpensive jewelry pieces. Plastic will melt and give off an acrid smoke when touched with the tip of a red hot needle, Sugilite will not react. 这种美丽的紫色宝石是在上世纪70年代在开采锰矿的时候意外发现，但在80年代之前都没有得到市场开发。尽管探明储量极大，但这种不透明的矿石却价格极高，这主要是因为唯一的矿源所处位置偏僻（在靠近非洲博茨瓦纳的喀拉哈里沙漠），且开采必须要深至地下3200英尺（约975米）。在80年代早期，曾被尝试过按品种进行市场推广，例如“皇家紫”、 “wesselite”、 “薰衣紫”，但是都没能够引起关注。半透明的深紫色种（葡萄冻体）被视为宝石级的苏纪石，由于存在极为稀少而价格奇贵。据估算，可被称为宝石级的苏纪石仅占开采总量的不足0.5%。但是，最近苏纪石开始变得流行起来，大量不透明的品种通常被加工成纯银镶嵌的珠宝，并通过家庭购物和网络拍卖进行销售。这一类型的目前并没有经过优化或合成。不过有时一种与苏纪石相似的塑料会替代真品被应用于廉价珠宝的制造，其鉴别方法是用烧红的针尖去接触检测，如果是塑料则会融化并产生一种刺鼻的味道，而真正的苏纪石则不会出现这种情况。
Athough reasonable care should be taken in setting and wearing this gem, it is relatively durable compared to some other popular cabochon gems. Sugilite is, for example, less susceptible to chemical attack than turquoise, and less sensitive to heat and drying than opal. It will need a repolishing from time to time if worn daily in a ring, and it should be protected from sharp knocks, but otherwise it is highly suitable for most jewelry uses.
Value The major value points are the depth and purity of the purple color and the degree of translucence. Within the opaque type, those which are the richest and purest purple color (without appearing black) and least mottled are the most valuable. It is the translucent "gel" form that commands the highest prices -- the very best pieces of which are generally set in gold and surrounded by diamonds . When pieces are mottled, particularly attractive patterns can rise above the norm in value, as is the case, for example, with the spotted "leopardskin" Sugilite. 价值 影响价格的关键点在于紫色部分的深度和纯度以及整体的透明度。对于不透明的品种，紫色越多越纯正（不带黑色的）且杂斑越少的则越贵。宝石级的半透明体是最好的品种，价格也是最贵的，一般都是采用金镶钻的形式加工。带有斑点的，特别是表面图案较美的则价格要高于普通品种，比如” 豹皮苏纪石 “。
The colors, shapes and sizes that Sugilite comes in
Sugilite is a fairly recent addition to the jewelers showcase. It was originally discovered in 1944 by Japanese geologist Ken-ichi Sugi off the island of Iwagi in Shikoku, Japan. However, this minerals beautiful hues and attractive attributes are making it extremely popular in the jewelry marketplace. Sugilite is made from many different types of elements including Potassium, Sodium, Maganese, Lithium, Iron, Aluminum and Silicate, its crystal structure is very poor, but since it is found in large masses, it is usually sold in larger pieces that compliment other types of gemstones.The hues that Sugilite comes in are varied. For instance, it’s most notable hue and most valuable hue is that of a very deep and rich purple. The stone is usually translucent to opaque, however when it comes in purple and of very large mass, it is usually opaque with a waxy luster. Other colors that Sugilite comes in are yellow, brown, black, a pale pink and yellow.It should be noted that Sugilite is the perfect gemstone to use to accent other stones, specifically Turquoise, Malachite and Coral. It can be cut into many shapes and sizes, but it usually looks its best in larger sizes do to its crystal formation.This mineral does make great jewelry, because it has a decent hardness of 6 to 6.5 on the Moh’s scale and is generally stable in its color. It is not brittle and will be perfect for day to day use. Because of its wonderful attributes, many jewelry insiders predict that Sugilite will grow in popularity in the next coming years.
[float=left] What’s in a name, you ask? Quite a lot when it comes to gems. Try getting excited about the likes of zoisite or grossular garnet. But rechristen these two gems as “tanzanite” and “tsavorite” respectively and you’ve done for gem marketing the equivalent of changing the name “Frances Gumm” to “Judy Garland.” “Tanzanite” and “tsavorite” are the trade names Tiffany’s taught the world to use back in 1968 and 1970 when it debuted these two East African gems to wild acclaim.
So it was hardly surprising that when sugilite, a new gem from South Africa, made its American market entry in 1984, it had as many trade names as a generic drug.Aware the name “sugilite” doesn’t conjure up any of the gem’s attributes—such as its majestic deep-purple color and its remote single origin in the southern Africa’s Kalahari desert—marketers dubbed it variously “wesselite,” “royal azel,” “royal lavulite” and “cybeline.”It never caught on under any of these aliases.Nor has it yet to catch on under its real name.Sugilite’s trouble, one a catchy name can’t fix, is that it is more mineral than gem, suitable for cabochon cutting rather than faceting. With the exception of turquoise, lapis lazuli and black onyx, few opaque and semi-translucent gem minerals attract the attention of consumers.May we suggest a second look? Sugilite has three big pluses going for it: beauty, affordability and a helluva story line. We will start with the last.Marketing ManganeseSugilite is named after Professor Ken-ichi Sugi, the Japanese petrologist (a specialist in rock formation and composition) who first discovered it in southwestern Japan in 1944. Although later noted in India, the first sugilite suitable for jewelry use wasn’t recovered until 1979 from a South African manganese mine in the Kalahari desert near Botswana. Later one ambitious marketer of the new gem would dub sugilite “royal azel” after the mine’s nearest town, Hotazel (jokingly pronounced “hot as hell” by locals since daytime summer temperatures there reach 100 F).The area in which sugilite is found is known as the Kuruman manganese field. Although this region is dotted with manganese mines, only one, the Wessels mine, produces gem sugilite. To honor its sole source, some early sellers called the newcomer “wesselite.”
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[float=left] Sugilite was discovered in the Wessels mine around 1975 but ignored until 1979 because it occurred in low-grade ore thought unworthy of attention. Some time after miners began working this ore, probably in 1980, they hit a mass of sugilite weighing between 10 and 12 tons. By sheer size alone, the deposit forced consideration of sugilite as a gem material. Miners removed this mass from its host rock and stockpiled it while the mine’s owners put out feelers among gem dealers.Those who experimented with the new material found that while occasional sections of rough lent themselves to faceting, sugilite was for the most part opaque and therefore best suited to cabochon cutting. Better cabs generally ranged in deep purple color from lavender to magenta and usually featured some banding.As meaningful supplies of sugilite started to come on the market, definite color preferences emerged. The most desirable: rare reddish-purple hues. But even when a far more common bluish-purple, the color generally merited the adjective “royal” used to describe very fine amethyst color. That’s why, in the mid-‘80s, dealers began marketing sugilite as “royal lavulite,” a name meant to evoke its rich lavender color. Unfortunately, for many lavulite sounds more like lava than lavender.Sugilite and IceWithout a doubt, the most imaginative and extensive marketing of sugilite as a jewelry gem was undertaken in 1984-1985 by I. Kurgan, a South African diamond firm that had opened an office in Los Angeles. Sensing that sugilite stood its best chance of mainstreaming acceptance as a jewelry center stone surrounded by diamonds, the firm created a striking line of sugilite and diamond rings, pendants and earrings with retail prices beginning at $300, then promoted it as “Royal Azel” jewelry.While I. Kurgan maintains that its sugilite popularization campaign succeeded, it is no longer actively marketing the gem. But I. Kurgan deserves a lot of the credit for sugilite’s winning its first real following in the United States.In fact it became popular enough to spawn imitations: plastic purple copies of the best material. Why, pray tell, would anyone substitute plastic for a gem that is often available for just dollars per carat in cabochon form? The fact that the simulant costs just pennies per carat is a large part of the answer. But the growing scarcity of fine-color material plays a role too.Much of this lesser color material, it turns out, is a second type of gem sugilite found in the Wessels mine, a fact the Gemological Institute of America discovered and reported in what is still the definitive study of this gem, published in the summer 1987 issue of Gems and Gemology. According to GIA, some sugilite pieces are predominantly sugilite while others are strong mixtures of sugilite with chalcedony quartz. It is the purer material (GIA calls it “maganoan sugilite”) that exhibits deeper, more uniform color and the quartz sugilite that exhibits lighter, more mottled color. Cutters have apparently used most of the pure material and are left with less pure grades. As consolation, quartz sugilite has a better hardness than the maganoan variety—6-6 ½ versus 5 ½-6. But no matter which type is used, or which alias it is sold under, sugilite offers affordable rich color, that adds the possibility of rich purple to a designer’s palette for inlay work or cabochons.
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楼主这么认真地为我们翻译，我也认真地看完了，谢谢啊，哈！
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