Extremely rare lab-grown yttrium silicate developed in Russia in the early 1990s. No longer produced and seldom seen outside museum or advanced collector collections. This is one of the only known examples in private hands.
This vivid electric blue square-cut specimen is a rare piece of synthetic gem history. Known as “Techno Minkovite,” this material was developed by Russian scientists—including B.I. Minkov, for whom it was named—and introduced briefly to the U.S. gem trade in the early 1990s. Only a handful of stones were ever distributed, and nearly all known examples are held by private collectors or gemological institutions.
The color comes from neodymium doping, giving it a rich, saturated blue with pleochroic flashes in violet and light blue. It’s a synthetic yttrium silicate (Y₂SiO₅) with high birefringence, a specific gravity of 4.47, and no natural counterpart. Under magnification, you may see curved color banding and occasional internal wisps—features that confirm its lab-grown origin.
This example is clean, crisp, and rare—ideal for collectors, researchers, or anyone fascinated by experimental gem synthesis that was never commercially developed
1.828 grams / 9.14 carats / 10.4 x 9.0 x 4.7 mm
Estimate: $450 - $475
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