Benitoite is a rare blue stone named after where it was found, the San Benito River. Benitoite is a rare gem that was first discovered in 1906 along the headwaters of the San Benito River in San Benito County, California. It was officially adopted as the California State Gemstone in 1985.
Benitoite has a very unusual crystalline shape. It is the only known ditrigonal-dipyramidal crystal. Its sapphire-blue color is unusual, but it really comes out in ultraviolet light, where it shines with a bright blue fluorescence..
It has high dispersion and is very sparkly. Helps to make one more in tune with positive ecological principles.
Sign of Benitoite:Scorpio
When first discovered it was initially thought to be sapphire. Samples were sent to the University of California, Berkeley for confirmation/identification and soon, after careful analysis by Dr. George Louderback, it was found to be a new mineral.
San Benito County, California, USA is the only known source of Benitoite in the world.
