Tiffany Gemstone

Tiffany Stone

Tiffany stone is such a rare opaque gemstone which found only in a small region of southwestern Utah. For years, it was available only as a minor by-product of the Brush-Wellman’s beryllium mining operation. When the mine was closed to collectors, the tiny supply of tiffany stone was cut off, and it seemingly forever.

Tiffany Stone is composed of varying combinations of minerals such as bertrandite (beryllium silicate), beryl, calcite, chalcedony, cobalt, dolomite, fluorite, manganese oxide, rhodonite, quartz and zinc. The purple color that characterizes Tiffany Stone was created by fluorine gases, while the distinct black-colored veins were caused by manganese oxide; all of which were sealed within the sedimentary layers, becoming opalized over time. Unlike precious opal, Tiffany Stone does not display any opalescence or “play of color” that is common in its namesake.

Tiffany is a purple, lavender, white stone sometimes with patches of mauve, yellowish-brown and black is found in beryllium ore (Bertrandite) . This stone is known as opalite, ice cream opal, opalized fluorite and opal fluorite. The name Tiffany Stone presumably comes from the jewelry company of the same name that used it in some of their designs.

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