Charoite is translucent lavender to purple in color with a pearly luster. Charoite is strictly massive in nature, and fractures are
conchoidal. It has an unusual swirling, fibrous appearance, sometimes
chatoyant, and that, along with its intense color, can lead many to believe at first that it is synthetic or enhanced artificially. Though reportedly discovered in the 1940s, it was not known to most of the world until its description in 1978. It is said to be opaque and unattractive when found in the field; a fact that may have contributed to its late recognition. The black spots on some specimens are either
augite or
aegirine, the latter occurring in almost all charoites since they commonly grow together. Larger round greenish spots are
feldspar. Lighter colored stones or ones with translucent areas are likely due to
canasite. The yellowish brown spots are
tinaksite, which was discovered at the same time as charoite was. Charoite's silky, fibrous structure results in a shimmery looking polished stone. Sometimes, the very white flashes are tiny white feldspar.
Sugilites and charoites can be confused, as both are purple, and sugilite can have black and white inclusions, however sugilite lacks the swirling pattern that are present in charoite stones, and it also lacks the chatoyant effect. == Occurrences ==