What makes a precious gemstone? What makes any stone precious? The words “precious gemstone” originally were not given or awarded, they were earned. In the case of Damsonite, a relatively unattractive rough piece of scarce material was discovered to have gem qualities similar to those of Lavendar Jade. Over time, Damsonite has been perceived, due to its lovely colorations and versatile characteristics, to have intrinsic value as well. Its qualities of tone, texture, translucency, rarity and color have elevated Damsonite to the status of treasured gemstone.

Found only in a small desert area of rugged mountain terrain in Arizona, Damsonite was named for its purple color, which resembles the color of the Damson plum of Damascus. Imperial, the highest grade of Damsonite, and all other grades of the stone come in many hues of purple, royal, mauve, violet and lavender. It is an exquisite gemstone available in very limited quantity as uncut rocks, carvings, cabochons, faceted stones and one-of-a-kind jewelry designs. Currently, all the readily accessible Damsonite has been removed from the locality where it was discovered, and no other findings are known to exist.