from the earth: crystals, rocks & minerals

[rocksncrystals-blog]

539 Sunstone

Sunstone is a Feldspar gemstone with a glittery appearance and usually an orange or reddish colour, hence its name. The glitter effect is caused by inclusions of the mineral Hematite, or sometimes also Goethite or Pyrite. Also see Feldspar Group.

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534 Mica Schist

Mica-Schist is a rock composed essentially of Quartz and Mica, usually either Muscovite or Biotite. The Mica is the prominent mineral, occurring in irregular leaves and in foliated masses. The Mica plates all lie with their cleavage planes parallel to each other and give to the rock a striking laminated or "schistose" structure.

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544 Pyrolusite

Pyrolusite is a mineral consisting essentially of manganese dioxide and is important as an ore of Manganese. It is a black mineral, often with a granular, fibrous or columnar structure, sometimes forming reniform (kidney-shaped) crusts. Also see Rutile Group.

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543 Epidote

Epidote is a lustrous yellow-green crystalline mineral, common in metamorphic rocks. It consists of a basic, hydrated silicate of Calcium, Aluminium, and Iron. Also see Epidote Supergroup.

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545 Connemara Marble from the West of Ireland Marble is a rock resulting from metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, most commonly limestone or dolomite rock. The resulting Marble rock is typically composed of an interlocking mosaic of carbonate crystals.

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542 Sulphur Quartz

Quartz is a hard mineral consisting of Silica, found widely in igneous and metamorphic rocks and typically occurring as colourless or white hexagonal prisms. It is often coloured by impurities (as in Amethyst, Citrine, Jasper and Chrysoprase).

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535 Rhodonite

Rhodonite is a pink to red manganese silicate mineral that is used as a gem and ornamental stone. It has also been used as a minor ore of Manganese. Also see Rhodonite Group.

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536 Howlite

Howlite is a calcium boron-silicate hydroxide that usually occurs in sedimentary rock formations. It is naturally white with fine grey marbling but can be dyed other colours, and is a mineral often used to replicate Turquoise.

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366 Merlinite also known as Dendritic Opal

weight 26g/130cts & dimensions 33x25x20mm

Merlinite is actually a Dendritic Agate that is mostly white with black dendrite ‘branches’; a combination of  a white Quartz over black Psilomelane (manganese oxide), which gives the ‘dendritic’ part of its name.

[rocksncrystals-blog]

353 Stichtite in Serpentine also known as Atlanticite

weight 20g/100cts & dimensions 22x22x20mm

Stichtite is a mineral, a carbonate of Chromium and Magnesium. Its colour ranges from pink through lilac to a rich purple. Also see Hydrotalcite Group.

The Serpentine subgroup (part of the Kaolinite-Serpentine group) are greenish, brownish, or spotted minerals commonly found in Serpentinite rocks.

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340 Rhodochrosite

weight 5g/25cts & dimensions  20x12x17mm

Rhodochrosite is a mineral consisting of manganese carbonate, typically occurring as pink, brown, or grey rhombohedral crystals. Also see Calcite Group.

[rocksncrystals-blog]

301 Leopardskin Jasper

weight 22g/110cts

Jasper, an aggregate of micro-granular Quartz and/or Chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of Silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in colour; and rarely blue.

[rocksncrystals-blog]

325 Emerald

weight 5g/cts

Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral Beryl, coloured green by trace amounts of Chromium and sometimes Vanadium.

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323 Azurite and Malachite

weight 12g/60cts

Azurite is a soft, deep blue copper mineral produced by weathering of copper ore deposits.

Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fractures and spaces, deep underground.

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140 Silver Leaf Jasper

weight 10g/50cts & dimensions 26x29x9mm

Jasper is an opaque variety of Chalcedony, which is a variety of microcrystalline fibrous Quartz. The colour is due to minute quantities of various elements; and Jaspers are in every colour and variation. Jaspers have very many names depending on colour, locality, patterning, such as red, Leopardskin, yellow, orbicular.

[rocksncrystals-blog]

110 Honey Calcite

weight 24g/120cts & dimensions 25x22x18mm

Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium Carbonate. It is extremely common and found throughout the world in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks, and is the principal constituent of Limestone and Marble. Also see Calcite Group.

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043 Bronzite -  a variety of Enstatite

weight 16.1g/80.5cts & dimensions 41x30x7mm

Bronzite is an iron-containing variety of Enstatite with a metallic sheen.

Enstatite is a translucent crystalline mineral that occurs in some igneous rocks and stony meteorites. It consists of magnesium silicate and is a member of the Pyroxene Group.