Charoite is a stone that naturally occurs in intense purple hues, as well as grays, browns, greenish yellows, white and black. These colors swirl throughout the stone in fascinating matrices of color. Originally discovered in the 1940’s and not introduced commercially until 1978, it is a relative newcomer to the gem market. The name is derived from the Charo River in eastern Siberia, Russia, the only site where it can be found.