Spodumene is one of the main ores of lithium (Li), which has become an extremely important material because so many devices—including electric cars—need lithium for their batteries. Plain old spodumene is usually opaque white, and its crystals are shaped like a wide, short sword with lines running along its length. The crystals don’t look especially pretty, but they can grow to be pretty enormous, with finds in Maine over 30 feet long! But there are two clear crystal varieties of spodumene that are considered gemstones: hiddenite, which is green, and kunzite, which is pink or purple. Hiddenite, which was first officially found in North Carolina, is not necessarily more “hidden” than other minerals, it just happens to be named after a guy named “Hidden” (William Earl Hidden). Where it was found in North Carolina, it was so important to the town that they changed the town’s name to Hiddenite too! As for Kunzite, it was first officially found in the San Diego pegmatite field (an area with lots of pegmatite rock in San Diego county, not the city) in California. And it was named after George Kunz, who was the vice president of the Tiffany jewelry company back in 1903. Speaking of pegmatites, they’re the most likely place for you to find spodumene, if they have lithium in them.