Home > Borate Minerals – April 22 > MS1805 Painite

Painite - Sold


Gem mining in the Mogok Valley started in ancient times. Following British activity at the ruby mines in the 19th and 20th centuries, gemologists began recognizing odd gems. A crystal found in 1952 eventually made its way to the Natural History Museum (London) where mineralogists realized it was a new mineral species. Claringbull et al. (1959) named the mineral after A.C.D. Pain, an avid gem collector who recognized its uniqueness. Only two crystals were known until 1979, when another was discovered. Painite remained the rarest of gem minerals for decades (even listed as such in the Guinness Book of World Records late 1980s). Starting in 2002, new specimens of painite came to market. A discovery history appears on Caltech's painite page.

This is a loose crystal section; a tight subparallel grouping of prismatic crystals. Purchased in Burma in 2006.