Pollucite — Collector’s Vault

Species: Pollucite (cesium-bearing feldspathoid-like pegmatite mineral; cesium aluminosilicate hydrate)
Weight: 1.72 carats
Measurements: 7.00 × 6.85 × 4.65 mm
Cut: Square step cut
Color: Colorless to near colorless (photos show a cool, near-colorless body)
Clarity: SI, Included (visible internal features in photos; typical for rarity minerals)
Treatment: None

Condition and Optics

This is a square step cut with broad facets that emphasize transparency and structure more than sparkle. The photos show visible internal inclusions and veil-like features that will read more clearly in step cuts than in brilliant styles. Face-up appearance is cleanly geometric with a calm, glassy look rather than high-fire performance.

Geological Context

Pollucite is a cesium-rich mineral that forms in granitic pegmatites, where crystals grow in chemically specialized pockets. Facetable material is uncommon because pollucite is primarily encountered as mineral specimens or as industrial cesium ore rather than as gem rough. When it is cut, it is typically acquired by collectors who intentionally seek out rare species rather than mainstream “big market” stones.

Rarity

Pollucite is an uncommon cesium-bearing mineral that is seldom encountered in faceted form. While it is mineralogically significant as the primary ore of cesium, the overwhelming majority of pollucite occurs as opaque, fractured, or industrial-grade material unsuitable for cutting. Transparent crystals of sufficient size and stability to facet are rare, and a high proportion fail during cutting due to inherent brittleness and cleavage.

As a result, faceted pollucite occupies a narrow and specialized collector market. Availability is irregular and dependent on sporadic recovery from chemically extreme granitic pegmatites rather than ongoing commercial production. Stones of this size with usable transparency and coherent geometry are not routinely replaceable and typically circulate through collector and specialty mineral channels rather than mainstream gemstone trade.

Wear Considerations

Pollucite is approximately Mohs 6.5 and is not positioned as a daily-wear ring stone for most buyers. If set, it performs best in protected designs (bezel or well-sheltered prongs) and in wear categories with lower impact risk (pendant, occasional-wear ring). This is a collector stone first.

Price

$235.00 USD

Pollucite is not priced from a standardized retail guide. Faceted material is traded infrequently and valued within a narrow collector market based on size, cut quality, and availability rather than brilliance or durability. This price reflects a 1.72-carat square step cut selected as the strongest example among this group of pollucites, offered natural and untreated. It is set for a collector buyer and reflects the scarcity of facetable pollucite rather than mainstream jewelry demand.