A very eye-catching stone, with such vivid colouring that even I found it hard to believe that it should occur naturally when I first caught sight of it while exploring the famous jewellery markets of Jaipur. But occur naturally it does with fantastic results.
This stone, also known as cobaltocalcite, combines the qualities of cobalt with those of calcite to produce this exquisite and stone with a matte finish pleasingly juxtaposed with it’s sparkling textured surface caused by crystal incrustation.
It is from this incrustation that the stone gets its informal name, Pink Drusy, as druse is a geological term to denote a stone with a coating of fine crystals. The word druse also brings up a vivid and pertinent image to mind, if it’s etymology from the Greek term for dew is understood.
The glittering of dew on a summer’s morning is easily applicable here. Its intense colouring therefore makes it seem fitting that it should first have been discovered in the vibrant jungles of the Congo, although most specimens are sourced from Morocco these days.
As with most things in nature there is a pleasing variety in each sample of pink drusy, ranging from light pink to dark cerise, “light” here of course should not be confused with “weak.” Given the natural state of the stone, we do occasionally find patches of green malachite on the surface, personally I think this takes nothing away of the aesthetics of the stone and only enhances character and individuality to the piece. It is also naturally a rough stone, so you can only imagine my excitement when I discovered it whilst researching for my rough-cut designer Tallulah range!
