Kunzite color chart: shades, names and which color is finest
By HeyGema™ · Updated
In short
Kunzite is the light pink to violetish purple variety of spodumene. Color is usually strongest along the length of the crystal, which guides how kunzite is cut, so the way a stone is oriented changes how strong its color looks face up. A round 1 carat kunzite measures about 6.7 mm.
- 3shades on the chart
- 6.7 mm1 carat, round
- 6.5 to 7hardness (Mohs)
Kunzite colors
Kunzite is the light pink to violetish purple variety of spodumene.
- Light pinkA pale stone.
- Pink-lilacA typical stone.
- Violetish purpleA stronger color.
The swatches are illustrations picked to match the color names. Screens and light change how color looks, and a cut stone changes with the light, so judge a stone in person or from a daylight photo.
Which kunzite color is finest
Color is usually strongest along the length of the crystal, which guides how kunzite is cut, so the way a stone is oriented changes how strong its color looks face up.
How gemologists describe color
Gemologists describe the color of a stone with hue, tone and saturation, and look at the three together. For colored stones they also look at how evenly the color is spread.
- Hue
- The color you would name, such as blue, green or red, or a blend such as bluish green.
- Tone
- How light or dark that color looks, from pale to very dark.
- Saturation
- How strong or pure the color looks, from dull (grayish or brownish) to vivid.
- Evenness
- How evenly the color is spread through the stone. Color zoning is uneven color, such as bands or patches you can see.
Colored stones have no single color scale like the D to Z scale for diamonds, so sellers use their own words. Ask for a daylight photo and for the size in mm as well as the carat weight.
What affects kunzite color
- Cause of color
- Manganese.
- Treatments
- Kunzite can be irradiated and then heated to enhance its color. Both natural and treated color can fade with heat and bright light.
- Wear and care
- Kunzite has two perfect cleavage directions that cutters must plan around, so it needs a protective setting.
Kunzite color and size
Large stones are not unusual. Carat is weight, not size. A round 1 carat kunzite measures about 6.7 mm, against 6.5 mm for a diamond of the same weight. This table gives the face-up size of a well-cut kunzite.
- 1 ct
- Round: 6.7 mm
- Oval: 8.3 x 5.7 mm
- Cushion: 5.8 x 5.8 mm
- 2 ct
- Round: 8.4 mm
- Oval: 10.4 x 7.2 mm
- Cushion: 7.3 x 7.3 mm
- 5 ct
- Round: 11.4 mm
- Oval: 14.2 x 9.7 mm
- Cushion: 9.9 x 9.9 mm
- 10 ct
- Round: 14.4 mm
- Oval: 17.8 x 12.3 mm
- Cushion: 12.5 x 12.5 mm
- 20 ct
- Round: 18.1 mm
- Oval: 22.5 x 15.4 mm
- Cushion: 15.7 x 15.7 mm
See the full kunzite size chart for every shape, or use the carat to mm calculator for any weight.
Kunzite properties
- Hardness (Mohs)
- Value: 6.5 to 7
- Refractive index
- Value: 1.660 to 1.676
- Specific gravity
- Value: 3.18
A pink to lilac spodumene. Cleaves easily, so it needs a protective setting.
How to compare kunzite stones
- Look at each stone in daylight and under indoor light. Color shifts with the light.
- Ask for the size in mm as well as the carat weight. A kunzite of the same weight can differ in size by shape and cut.
- Ask whether the color is natural or treated, and ask for the answer in writing.
- For a stone that matters, ask for an independent lab report.
Designing with a colored stone? HeyGema lets you choose the stone shade and renders your design with it.