A relatively common member of the amphibole mineral group, pargasite is a commonly encountered collector’s mineral that is only very rarely faceted. Although also occurring in black and brown, most of the commercially significant material is bright green and often found in association with marble. In addition, some such marble specimens from Luc Yen, Vietnam and Myanmar’s famous Mogok gemstone tract may also contain red spinel octahedra.

First discovered at the beginning of the nineteenth century, pargasite is named after its original source locality of Pargas, Finland. Aside from the two Asian ruby localities mentioned above, northern Pakistan also produces bright green, chromium-rich crystals, while most of the occasionally faceted brownish material is sourced in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Canada’s Baffin Island.

Blackish pargasite crystals may sometimes be encountered as a third constituent within the well-known ornamental rock “ruby-in-zoisite”.