Natural Painite Specimen – 205g, 150ct, Burma

One of the rarest minerals on Earth — this natural painite specimen weighs 205 grams (150 carats) and originates from Burma (Myanmar), the only known significant source of this extraordinarily rare borate mineral. Painite was first described in 1957 and for decades was considered the world's rarest mineral, with only a handful of crystals known to exist. Even today, fine natural painite specimens remain vanishingly rare in the collector market and are highly prized by advanced collectors and institutions worldwide.

Painite belongs to the hexagonal crystal system and typically forms in brownish-red to orange-red prismatic crystals with a vitreous lustre. Its rarity stems from the highly unusual combination of elements required for its formation — including boron, zirconium, calcium, and aluminium — which occur together in the right concentrations only in a very limited number of geological environments, almost exclusively in the gem-bearing pegmatites and skarns of the Mogok region of Burma.

A specimen of this calibre represents a genuine opportunity for the serious collector — painite of any quality is difficult to source, and natural matrix specimens of this size are exceptionally uncommon.

• Mineral: Painite (Calcium Zirconium Borosilicate)
• Origin: Burma (Myanmar)
• Weight: 205g (150ct)
• Form: Natural specimen