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Home / Gem Library / Gemstones Varieties / Taaffeite November 21, 2024

Natural Taaffeite

Taaffeite is one of the rarest and most desirable of collector's stones. Only a very few stones have been found, most of them originally misidentified as spinel. Sri Lanka and Tanzania appear to be the only sources for this material this time. However, because of the geological connection between the deposits in Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and East Africa, we expect to find the stones in Madagascar as well.


  • There are 15 Taaffeite gemstones available at Multicolour.com
  • Taaffeite(s) are organized in the following categories: PairSingle,  gemstones.
  • Our most expensive Taaffeite is USD 21735.00 and largest Taaffeite weight is CTS 3.45.
  • Our cheapest Taaffeite is USD 432.00 and smallest Taaffeite weight is CTS 0.48.

Find your Taaffeite

Our Taaffeite(s) are available in various shapes, sizes and colors. 15 Taaffeite(s), too many to look through? You may select any combination of search options. Colors grade into each other and you can search for more than one color at once. For a better selection, try selecting two or three colors, -- your first choice plus the two closest colors.

Color range
blue
violet
bluish violet
bluish purple





Taaffeite Profile

Color information: Mauve, reddish violet, brownish-purple, pink, red, blue.
Refractive Index: 1.71-1.72.
Chemical Composition: Mg3BeAl8O16
Hardness: 8 - 8.5
Density: 3.60 - 3.71
Crystal Group: Hexagonal
Ocurrence: Tunduru, Tanzania; Sri Lanka
Sign of the Zodiac: N/A
Month of the year: N/A
Taaffeite Taaffeite
In 1945, Count Taaffe, a Dublin gemologist found a pale mauve stone in a jewelers junk box that resembled spinel in appearance and properties but showed distinct double refraction. The stone was sent to the British museum for testing where they determined it to be an unknown mineral. Although its refractive index is nearly the same as spinel, it can be differentiated by its double refraction and uniaxial negative character.

Despite diligent search, it was not until 1949 that another stone was found in a parcel of stones from Sri Lanka. A third stone was found in 1957 by Robert Crowningshield of GIA and a fourth stone some 10 years later. Since then, more gemologists have been aware of taafeite and stones continue to be discovered. We discovered some taafeites in our mine run material from Tunduru, Tanzania and have started re-checking all our stones especially the spinels for any evidence of double refraction which with the correct refractive index would confirm their identity as taafeite.

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Taaffeite range/
Taaffeite Single
Taaffeite Single Fancy Eye clean
Size: 10.40 X 8.80 MM
Weight: 3.450 CTS
Shape: Fancy
Clarity: Eye clean
Usually ships within 24 hours
RECOMMENDED
OUR PRICE
USD 21735.00
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Taaffeite Single
Taaffeite Single Oval Eye clean
Size: 4.80 X 4.30 MM
Weight: 0.480 CTS
Shape: Oval
Clarity: Eye clean
Usually ships within 24 hours
RECOMMENDED
OUR PRICE
USD 432.00
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