Joan Abella Creus, a gemmologist with the University of Barcelona and the Federation for European Education in Gemmology, was born in Sabadell in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia. One of most significant contributions has been to increase the knowledge of the natural mineralogical patrimony of my country, by having found, analyzed and published information about a variety of mineral species that had not previously been known from Spain. In 2015 the IMA approved the new mineral species Abellaite, discovered by me in the Eureka mine, Castell-estaó, La Torre de Cabdella in Catalonia, Spain, and named in my honor. It is the first new mineral species discovered in Catalonia.

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