It seemed a little crazy that there was nothing in gemmological literature characterizing faceted phenakite from the region formerly known as Volodarsk-Volynski (‘Khoroshiv’ since 2015). This was a little ironic since the region is the type-locality for phenakite. At the behest of the Journal of Gemmology’s editor, Brendan Laurs, I set about rectifying this.
Gemmologists and mineralogists will recognize the name Volodarsk-Volynski as a region in Ukraine. It was renamed the Khoroshiv region in 2015, but gemmologists and mineralogists often respond to name changes by scowling at the up-and-coming generation for correcting them.
For so many years we looked in awe at some of the minerals that have come from Khoroshiv, particularly beryl and topaz. These mining operations have been meticulously documented by Peter Lyckberg et al, and the best of the resultant material, if not preserved as mineral samples, being wonderfully carved and cut in such centres of excellence as Idar Oberstein. One mineral that tended to be overlooked was phenakite. With such humdinger examples of the aforementioned beryl and topaz from the region taking the centre stage, this little known, generally colourless beryllium silicate deserves a look.
Gem Note on Coloured Stones, featured in the Journal of Gemmology, Volume 39, No.3. Published in 2024.
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