Hauyne: Vivid and Valuable

The correct pronunciation for hauyne is “ah-ween.” Rare in existence, gem quality hauyne is coveted by gemstone enthusiasts. Ah…yes, hauyne is a beautiful stone that must be seen.

In 1807, hauyne was first discovered on Mount Somma, Italy, by French mineralogist and crystallographer Rene Just Hauy (1743-1822). Hauyne was named in honor of Mr. Hauy.

Hauyne occurs among volcanic, igneous rocks. Hauyne rarely crystallizes by itself. Instead, it crystallizes with other minerals, which forms twinned crystals. These crystals have varying colors (blue, white, green, red, pink, yellow, and gray). The igneous rocks where hauyne is formed have a high content of alkaline, which helps the “electric” intensity of hauyne’s color.

Gem quality hauyne is usually semi-transparent to translucent, and is most often blue in color. While blue is not a totally unique color in the gemstone world, it is a very popular color. The blue color of hauyne is special because it has an intense, neon or electrical appearance. Gem quality hauyne in any other color is extremely rare.
 

Hauyne has been found in Canada, Guinea, Spain, Austria, Australia, Ecuador, Germany, and the United States. However, gem quality hauyne is very hard to find, and the main producing region of it is West Germany. West Germany produces the most popular and most cherished color of hauyne, which is an intense, rich sapphire blue.

Hauyne is not a strong gemstone. In fact, it is usually between 5.0 and 6.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness, and it is very brittle. Because of this, it is uncommonly rare to see hauyne as a faceted gemstone. If, by chance, you do see one that is faceted, it will not be very large in size at all.

Other names that have been used for hauyne include haueyne, auina, and hauynite. Metaphysically, some people have suggested that hauyne arouses feelings of peacefulness, which can really be helpful in the process of meditation.

Blue gemstones are very popular among gemstone and jewelry enthusiasts at this time. A hauyne gemstone that has the same deep, rich color of a sapphire, combined with a superior luster, will be in very high demand. As a result of this and the extreme rarity of hauyne in general, prices of hauyne are very high.

Valuable, vivid, and vivaciously attractive—the hauyne gemstone is a rare creation of nature. Those who own it will marvel at its blue beauty. Those who don’t own it will just be blue.

Return to Blue Gems page