The discovery of a completely new mineral this week by the precious stone mining company Shefa Yamim in northern Israel has both geologists and the general public in awe.
Carmeltazite, often known as “Carmel Sapphire,” may be advertised as a mineral more precious than diamonds.
The mineral was discovered encrusted with sapphire during mining in volcanic rock in northern Israel’s Zevulun Valley near Mt. Carmel, and it was aptly named “carmeltazite” after its discovery site. During density tests, it was determined to be harder than diamond.
Carmeltazite looks and chemically like ruby and sapphire, yet it is unlike any other sapphire discovered on the planet. In fact, the substance had previously only been identified in space.
Since the enterprise found it trapped within or in the fissures of diamonds within volcanic rock on Mount Carmel, it has been difficult to mine and identify.
The crystal structure of carmeltazite is peculiar.
It was produced by volcanic explosions along the Carmel crest during the Cretaceous period, when 14 volcanic vents periodically ejected lava that eroded and drowned the Mediterranean.
The biggest stone unearthed thus far weights 33.3 carats.
The substance has been patented as “Carmel sapphire” by an Israeli company, and the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals has accepted it as a new mineral. While the approval of new minerals is not unusual, the discovery of this mineral has taken many by surprise owing to its extraordinary rarity.
Despite the fact that the company has highlighted some potential places along Mt. Carmel for further study of the mineral, it is still rarer than diamonds. “Gemstone pricing is typically a result of rarity,” said Abraham Taub, CEO of Israeli gemstone mining business Shefa Yamim. Carmeltazite will very definitely be significantly more costly than them if it is brought to the mineral market.