Spodumine is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate–and occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish or lilac kunzite yellowish-green or emerald-green... Crystal faces are often etched and pitted with triangular markings.
Spodumene is derived from the Greek spodumenos, meaning “burnt to ashes,” owing to the opaque, ash-grey appearance of material refined for use in industry, and occurs in lithium rich granites and pegmatites. Transparent material has long been used as a gemstone with varieties kunzite and hiddenites noted for their strong pleochroism.
Spodumene is a relatively new mineral to science, being discovered in the last three centuries and gem varieties have only been discovered in the last 120 years.
