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Taaffeite

Last updated: April 2026

Taaffeite (BeMgAl₄O₈) was first identified as a new mineral species in 1945 after Count Taafe purchased a faceted stone from a Dublin jeweler assuming it was spinel. The polariscope immediately separates them: spinel is isotropic (SR), taaffeite is uniaxial negative (DR). RI is similar to spinel (1.718) but taaffeite shows weak double refraction. One of the rarest gem minerals; a few hundred gem-quality specimens are known. Most material is from Sri Lanka and Tanzania; a small deposit in China (Inner Mongolia) was documented in the 1980s.

Taaffeite has a specific gravity of 3.61 and a refractive index of 1.719–1.723, with a Mohs hardness of 8.0–8.5. It is uniaxial −.

Physical & Optical Properties

RI Range1.719–1.723
SG Range3.59–3.63
SG Typical3.61
Hardness (Mohs)8–8.5
Crystal SystemHexagonal
Optic CharacterDR Uniaxial (−)
Birefringence0.004
Dispersion0.019
Fluorescence LWInert
Fluorescence SWInert
Chelsea FilterNot Applicable
PleochroismWeak
ColorsColorless, Red Pink, Purple, Blue Violet, Green
SpeciesTaaffeite
ColorlessRed PinkPurpleBlue VioletGreen

Measured with a polariscope, a refractometer, a hydrostatic balance, a Chelsea filter, a UV torch, a loupe, a darkfield loupe and a spectroscope — step-by-step for each.

Through the refractometer

Taaffeite reads 1.719 – 1.723 1.40 1.45 1.50 1.55 1.60 1.65 1.70 1.75 1.80 REFRACTIVE INDEX DORotate the stone through a full 360°, reading both edges atevery 45°. SEETwo boundaries 0.004 apart — so close that at this size theyread as one thick line. On the instrument they separate onlywith a steady head and a sharp edge. MEANSThat gap IS the birefringence. Take max minus min across thewhole rotation — a single position understates it, so onereading is an incomplete one. Computed from gems.json — edge positions are arithmetic, not drawn. RI increases upward; the field above the boundary is the dark one.

Drawn from the refractive index above, on a 1.40–1.81 scale. How to take this reading.

Through the polariscope

Taaffeite Blinks 4× per turn (DR) 0° 45° 90° 135° ROTATION BETWEEN CROSSED POLARS Taaffeite blinks light-dark four times in a full turn. That is doubly refractive. It does NOT tell you uniaxial from biaxial — that is the optic figure, which needs a conoscope. Computed from optic character and transparency in gems.json. A polariscope separates singly refractive, doubly refractive and aggregate — it does not show the optic sign.

Drawn from the optic character and transparency above. A polariscope separates singly refractive, doubly refractive and aggregate; the optic sign needs a conoscope. How to take this reading.

Specific gravity, and what it rules out

Taaffeite SG 3.59–3.63 WHERE IT SITS, AND WHAT ELSE IS THERE 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 SPECIFIC GRAVITY 11 other species in the table overlap this range, so a reading here narrows the field to 12 rather than naming the stone. Combine it with a refractive index to separate what is left. Computed from the specific-gravity range in gems.json. Hydrostatic weighing — the bench method this site recommends; heavy liquids are toxic and regulated. Faint ticks are the other species in the table.

Drawn from the specific-gravity range above, against every other species in the table. How to take this reading.

Through the dichroscope

Taaffeite Two colours (dichroic) BEST ORIENTATION ROTATED 45° — THE NULL At its best orientation Taaffeite shows pink in one window and colorless in the other. Rotate the instrument 45° and the two windows become IDENTICAL — the null. So "both windows the same" means either the stone is singly refractive or you are holding the instrument at the wrong angle, and the only way to tell is to turn it. Computed from pleochroism and pleochroic colours in gems.json. Window tints are derived mechanically from the colour words, not chosen; a neutral pair depicts no colour at all.

Drawn from the pleochroism above. Two windows that match mean either no pleochroism or the wrong angle — turn the instrument to tell. How the dichroscope compares.

Key Differentiators

Common Simulants

Measurement Guides

How to Identify a GemstoneHow to Measure Specific GravityHow to Use a RefractometerUV Fluorescence Testing

Identifying a taaffeite? Loupewise walks through these tests in order — RI, SG, fluorescence, and more.

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Studying for the GIA, FGA, or FEEG practical? Taaffeite is one of the 132 species in Loupewise’s drill and exam pool — practice identifying it from its measured properties under timed exam conditions.

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