Esther Park
Cataloguer
Gems and Minerals of Old Burma / Ekanite
Lot 2018
Ekanite
10 – 20 May 2022, 12:00 PDT
Online, Los AngelesSold for US$178.50 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Natural History specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistSpecialists
Claudia Florian
Co-Consulting Director, Gemologist
Ekanite
Mogok-Peinpyite, Burma
Ekanite is an uncommon silicate mineral which was discovered by gemologist F. L. D. Ekanayake as two cabochon-cut gemstones in a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1953. When he examined these unknown stones, he found they had unusual optical and physical properties. He later discovered the source of these and other similar stones in gravel beds in Eheliyagoda, near Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. Later in 1961, scientists confirmed the mineral as a new species and named it ekanite after the gemologist. Other sources of ekanite have emerged in Burma such as the present example, but it remains a rare gemstone. The total number of gems is still a mere handful. The present cushion-cut ekanite displays a deep, rich green hue. Weighing approximately 5.87 carats and measuring 13.60 x 10.07 x 5.98mm
Ekanite is an uncommon silicate mineral which was discovered by gemologist F. L. D. Ekanayake as two cabochon-cut gemstones in a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1953. When he examined these unknown stones, he found they had unusual optical and physical properties. He later discovered the source of these and other similar stones in gravel beds in Eheliyagoda, near Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. Later in 1961, scientists confirmed the mineral as a new species and named it ekanite after the gemologist. Other sources of ekanite have emerged in Burma such as the present example, but it remains a rare gemstone. The total number of gems is still a mere handful. The present cushion-cut ekanite displays a deep, rich green hue. Weighing approximately 5.87 carats and measuring 13.60 x 10.07 x 5.98mm
Footnotes
Provenance: Ex. Bill Larson Collection, Fallbrook, California