Painite

Painite is a rare borate mineral (CaZrBAl₉O₁₈), a calcium zirconium aluminum borate that crystallizes in the hexagonal system. Painite held the Guinness World Record as the world's rarest mineral for decades. From its discovery in 1951 until 2005, fewer than 25 crystals were known to exist in the entire world. Recent finds in Myanmar have increased the count to over 1,000 known specimens, but gem-quality material remains extraordinarily rare.

Painite was discovered by British gemologist Arthur C.D. Pain in Mogok, Myanmar. For over 50 years it was known from only three crystals and remained a near-mythical collector item. The extreme rarity results from its unusual chemistry: it requires calcium, zirconium, boron, and aluminum all present in precise proportions in the same geological environment.

It forms in metamorphosed limestone (marble) alongside ruby, sapphire, and spinel in Myanmar's legendary Mogok Stone Tract. The same geological kitchen that produces some of the world's finest gemstones also created one of its rarest minerals.

Painite is identified by its dark brownish-red color (similar to dark garnet), hexagonal crystal system, hardness of 8, and very high specific gravity (4.01). Strong pleochroism shows different colors from different angles: red, brown, and pale yellow.

Distinguish from garnet (isometric, singly refractive), ruby (trigonal, different SG), and dark tourmaline (trigonal, lower SG). Lab verification is essential for any claimed painite.