272.50 ct WORLDS BIGGEST FACETTED HANKSITE – USA

Hanksite Solving the puzzle of how to cut water-soluble minerals was a breakthrough for my vault, and it didn’t go unnoticed. In the Spring 2010 issue of Gems & Gemology, the GIA documented my work after seeing several of our faceted Hanksites at the GJX show. We were likely the first in the world to successfully transform this "impossible" evaporite into large, faceted gemstones—including one massive specimen over 250 carats. It’s a delicate dance on the lap; because the stone dissolves in water, we had to innovate entirely new techniques to keep the facets from simply vanishing during the process. The Heritage & Discovery Historical Significance: Hanksite is a rare messenger from the dry lake beds of the Mojave Desert. It is one of the few minerals that contains both sulfate and carbonate groups, making it a scientific curiosity that defies easy classification. To the casual observer, it is a simple evaporite, but to those who understand the difficulty of its preservation, a faceted Hanksite is a trophy of lapidary persistence. Discovery: The mineral was first described in 1885 and named in honor of Henry Garber Hanks, the first state mineralogist of California. It is a signature species of the Searles Lake region, where it forms in the mud layers of the dry lake bed as the ancient waters evaporated over millennia. Important Mines: The legendary source for this material is Searles Lake in Trona, San Bernardino County, California. The site is almost entirely closed to the public, only opening its gates for a single weekend each year. While large crystals are common, finding the small, "clean" well-formed crystals required for our high-end faceting is an exhaustive search. Mineralogical Profile Description: Hanksite is a hexagonal mineral with a vitreous to greasy luster. It is remarkably sensitive, sitting at a 3.5 on the Mohs scale and possessing a high solubility in water. When we facet these stones, we must use saturated solutions or mineral oil to avoid dissolution. Under ultraviolet light, it reveals its hidden nature, glowing with a greenish-yellow fluorescence and a brief, ghostly phosphorescence that lasts several seconds. Chemical Formula: Na₂₂K(SO₄)₉(CO₃)₂Cl