Spodumene occurs in a range of colors, although the most common is yellowish grey. Two gem varieties - lilac-pink kunzite (coloured by manganese) and bright emerald-green hiddenite (colored by chromium) - arc very popular with collectors, although perfect cleavage makes them fragile gemstones. Strong pleochroism is easily seen in gem material, showing colorless and two shades of the body color when viewed from different directions. Stones should always be cur to show the best color through the table facet. The pink color may fade with time, but some material is irradiated to intensity it.

Spodumeue was discovered m 1877 in Brazil, although it was not until 1879 that kunzite and hiddenite were recognized as different varieties of the same mineral. Spodumene is also found in Madagascar, Burma, the USA, Canada, the former USSR, Mexico, and Sweden.

Lialac-pink kunzite is named after the gemologist G.F. Kunz, who first described it in 1902; hiddenites is named after W.E. Hidden, who discovered it in North (Carolina in 1879).