The new gem material was first introduced to the international mineralogical community at the Tucson show in February 2003, where it was recognized as a mineral of unusual gemological properties not referenced in world literature (see Laurs et al., 2003). For details on materials tested, see Hawthorne et al. (2004) and Laurs et al. (2003). Three of the totally tested samples are officially registered reference materials (Box 6). They are deposited in the USA, Canada and in Switzerland.

The samples analyzed by the Swiss team are shown in Figs. P4-P5, P7-8, P12-13 and Box 7. Three samples were investigated by chemical and crystallographic investigation. These include 0.5cm-sized samples obtained from the large mother piece (Fig. P5). One of the small fragments entered the collection as a type locality specimen (Box 6).

THE APPLICATION TO THE COMMISSION ON NEW MINERALS AND MINERAL NAMES

The Swiss research group (authors 1-4) filed an application to the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association (CNMMN, http://www.geo.vu.nl/users/ima-cnmmn/), stating that they had characterized a new mineral. The chairman of CNMMN informed the Swiss team that he had just received a proposal for the same mineral from a different research group (US-Canadian, authors 5-8). He further stated that both proposals were complementary to each other. An agreement was established that both groups’ information and data should be merged and a new joint proposal should be submitted. Subsequently, CNMMN members decided unanimously that the new mineral should be accepted with the name 'pezzottaite'.

Box 1 to 6 summarized original data of the merged IMA application submitted by:

Hawthorne F.C., Cooper M.A., Peretti A., Simmons W.B., Armbruster T., Rossman G.R., Günther D., Laurs B.M., Grobéty B. (2003)

Check-list for new mineral proposals: Pezzottaite. Proposal submitted to the International Mineralogical Association, 8 pp. Application No. 2003-022.