Manganotantalite

Manganotantalite is the only true member of the Tantalite family that is found in gemy facetable material. It is primarily made of Tantalum as a manganese tantalum oxide. Although its not in the extreme heavy weight class it is still in the heavy weight class about 2.25 times heavier then a diamond at the same size because Tantalum is quite a heavier mineral. It has a specific gravity as high as 8! Most Tantalite’s are in an ore form rather then a more pure crystallinematerial contributing to just how rare these are

Similar to Peridot, Manganotantalite is an idiochromatic gem meaning it gets its color directly from the manganese and iron its own structure, unlike most gems which tend to get their color from trace elements. Ranging from brownish reds to vibrant blood reds they are a striking gemstone an to add to that rarity, red is technically the rarest color in the gem world!

Hardness: 5.5 – 6.5
Composition: (Mn, Fe)(Ta, Nb)₂O₆