the.com/benitoite
California's official gem, bluer than sapphire and rarer than your patience in traffic.
means A rare, deep-blue barium titanium silicate mineral, prized as a gemstone and found in fine quality essentially only in California, where it is the official state gem.
from Named for the place it was first found around 1907: San Benito County, California, near the headwaters of the San Benito River — itself named for Saint Benedict (Spanish 'San Benito'). The mineral suffix '-ite,' from the Greek '-ites' meaning 'belonging to,' is the standard tag geologists hang on rocks and minerals. So the name simply means 'the stuff from San Benito' — a saint's name, routed through a river and a county, ending up on one of Earth's bluest gems.
- only source
- Gem-quality found almost solely in San Benito County
- glows wild
- Fluoresces electric blue under shortwave ultraviolet light
- discovered late
- First identified in 1907, mistaken for sapphire
- state gem
- California adopted it officially in 1985
- barium clue
- A rare barium titanium silicate, chemically peculiar
benitoite state gem california — official state gem of california since 1985, found in san benito county
the benitoite mine — historic mining location in san benito county, california where the mineral was first discovered in 1907