Painite

Painite is a rare borate mineral composed mainly of calcium, zirconium, boron, aluminum, and oxygen. It is usually reddish brown and forms prismatic crystals.

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Borate minerals: Minerals whose structures contain borate groups built from boron and oxygen. Painite belongs to this mineral family, whose borate frameworks accommodate several different cations.
Arthur C. D. Pain: A British gemologist who identified painite in a specimen from Myanmar. The mineral was named for Pain, who first recognized it as a distinct species.
Gemstone: A mineral or other material cut and polished for ornamental use. Painite’s best-known use is as a collectible gemstone rather than an industrial mineral.
Jeremejevite: A rare aluminum borate mineral that forms elongated crystals and is sometimes used as a gemstone. Like painite, it is a rare borate gemstone, but its chemistry and crystal structure differ.
Crystal system: A classification of crystals based on the symmetry and geometry of their unit cells. Painite crystallizes in the hexagonal system, a symmetry that shapes its prismatic crystals.
Myanmar: A country in Southeast Asia that contains important deposits of gemstones and other minerals. The first known painite specimens came from Myanmar, where later gem-quality crystals were found.
Gemology: The study of gemstones, including their identification, properties, and treatment. Gemological methods distinguish painite from similar reddish-brown stones and assess its quality.
Grandidierite: A rare magnesium aluminum borosilicate mineral, often blue-green and prized as a gemstone. Its rarity invites comparison with painite, while its distinct chemistry produces a different characteristic color.
Unit cell: The smallest repeating structural unit that generates a crystal lattice by translation. Painite’s repeating atomic arrangement is described by a hexagonal unit cell.
Mogok: A region in Myanmar famed for deposits of ruby, sapphire, and other gemstones. Painite-bearing deposits near Mogok supplied many of the crystals that changed estimates of its scarcity.