A crystal of painite discovered in 1979 in a
parcel of rough gem spinel from Burma represents the
third known crystal of the species. This crystal is similar to
the type crystal in most respects. Chemical analyses of
both the new crystal and the type crystal confirmed the
essential constituents reported by Moore and Araki
(1976) and showed in addition the presence of trace
amounts of Fe, Cr, V, Ti, Na, and Hf. Optical absorption
spectra suggest that the red colour of painite is caused
principally by Cr^(3+) and V^(3+)