 | Diaspore is one of the three component minerals of the economically important aluminum ore bauxite. Though most forms of this mineral are of no interest to the collector, large exceptional crystals unlike any others were found in Turkey in the 1950's in a commercial bauxite deposit. This deposit has become the source of mining operations producing exceptional specimens and gem-grade crystals that are cut into gemstones. The company operating the gem diaspore mine was previously called Zultanite Gems LLC. |  |
 | Diaspore is beautiful and exotic in a soft, subtle manner. It is also one of the lesser known of the color-change gemstones. Diaspore has good hardness at 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale, but it is known to be brittle and can cleave. Most diaspore is colorless to very pale. The beauty and intrigue of this gemstone is seen when there is sufficient color saturation to exhibit the color change phenomenon that most diaspore is known for. |  |
 | A new trade name, Csarite, is now being applied to the mineral. The Courtney Collection has been named as the first authorized distributor of Csarite in the United States. The Courtney Collection is the new loose coloured gemstone division of the Los Angeles-based Erica Courtney, Inc. It will focus on collectible, rare and interesting gemstones. http://www.ericacourtney.com/ |  |
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