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Abalone

Abalones are members of a class (Gastropoda) of molluscs having one-piece shells.
They belong to the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis, which means sea ear, referring to the flattened shape of the shell.
These shells are associated with healing, serenity, calmness, nobility, and honesty.
Abalone is also reported to stimulate psychic development and intuition, and promote imagination in a healthy way.
Abalone has been used by Kemetic (ancient Egyptian), Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Italian (Stregha), Celtic (Druidic and Faerie), French, Spanish, Portuguese, Gypsy, Norse, Germanic, British, Scottish, African, Polynesian, Japanese, Chinese, Asian Indian, and Native American peoples.
Abalone is purported to be especially useful for handling and calming emotional situations, and be very soothing to the emotions.
Having abalone nearby when working through an emotional situation with someone is said to be beneficial, and promotes cooperation.
Abalone is associated with the first three chakras.
Mystical lore suggests that abalone is helpful for arthritis and other joint disorders, muscle problems, the heart, and digestion.

Acanthite

Acanthite is a most protective crystal, It was carried in anceint times as a powerful and protective force against enemies and evil forces. Warriors rarely wrnt to war without this crystal upon their body in some form. A crystal, a carving, a carved arrow head, or inside an amulet etc. This crystal is a powerful creator and supporter of strength within the wearer/carrier, removing mental and emotional obstacles to bravery, and fearlessness. It supports one in carrying out tasks which one would usually shy away from. But it is within the self to create the boundaries which one would not pass no matter what strength is needed or afforded. It does not support one in harming another, it supports one being strong within the self. It allows one to look within the self and to "see" where disease is created and upheld by the body and the emotional self, so that one can remove what one has created, and return the body to wholeness. There is no hurtfulness toward the self during this procedure, no self judgement; no punishment of the self. It is simply understood where one needs to direct change within the self, in order to exact change outwardly, bringing about that change on all levels of the being, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual etc.... Acanthite is a bringer of peace, patience, and staying power to the process of inner and outer change; in the process of alteration, and definition of oneself, toward the attainment of comfort with one being who one naturally is, by that process of change...
The preceding information was supplied by: Darryll Thompson [darryl109@gmail.com]

Acanthite is a very important silver ore.

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System: Monoclinic; 2/m below 173 degrees Celsius (acanthite) and isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m above (argentite).
Crystal Habits include rarely well formed pseudo: cubes, octahedrons and dodecahedrons. Non-argentite crystals (those that formed below 173 degrees Celsius) of acanthite tend to be of a slender prismatic habit.
More commonly found massive and as coatings or as arborescent (branching) and reticulated groups.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 5.5 - 5.8 (slightly heavy even for metallic minerals).
Streak is a shiny black.
Other Characteristics: Sectile, meaning it can be cut with a knife like lead and fresh shiny surfaces will eventually form a dull coating after prolonged exposure to light (can be removed by ultrasonic treatment).
Associated Minerals include silver, quartz, bornite, gold, galena, proustite, pyrargyrite, stephanite and other silver sulfide minerals.
Notable Occurrences include Guanajuato, Mexico; Freiberg and Saxony, Germany; Cobalt, Ontario, Canada; Comstock Lode, Nevada and Butte, Montana, USA; Cornwall, England; Chile; Peru; Bolivia and especially Kongsberg, Norway.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, softness, sectility, association with other silver sulfosalts and color.

Colors: lead gray to black Hardness: 2.5 to 3


Actinolite Quartz

Actinolite is an immensely important tool.
It is a phenomenal shielding device and expands the energy body.
This expansion of the energy body provides a connection to "All That Is."
This stone also provides familiarity with all people encountered.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: examples are translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include the flattened prismatic and elongated crystal with a dome-like termination that is actually a two of the four faces of a prism.
Also as a fibrous mass (asbestos) and as a fibrous and very compact mass (nephrite jade).
Cleavage: is perfect in two directions at close to 60- and 120-degree angles.
Fracture is splintery to uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 - 3.3 (very slightly above average for translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, lawsaonite, epidote and glaucophane.
Other Characteristics: the compact nephrite variety is extremely tough and is actually stronger than steel.
Notable Occurrences include the Lake Baikal Region, Russia; China; New Zealand; British Columbia, Canada and Taiwan.
Best Field Indicators are toughness (nephrite jade), fibrosity (asbestos), typical green color, crystal habit and hardness.

Colors: green, white, gray
Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Adamite

Use in business and for prosperity.

Luster is adamantine.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include diamond shaped, wedge-like prisms sometimes modified with minor prismatic faces and terminated by a double triangle.
Mostly in druses and radiating clusters that can form wheel and wheat sheaf shapes.
Rarely in a perfectly smooth botryoidal habit like smithsonite, but commonly found with well formed double triangular crystal terminations that sparkle on the top of the "sub" botryoidal surface.
Cleavage is perfect in two directions at non-right angles to each other (domal).
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.4 (heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is white to pale green.
Other Characteristics: Strongly fluoresces green in short and long UV light.
Associated Minerals are legrandite, limonite, smithsonite, austinite, paradamite, aragonite, calcite, mimetite, conichalcite and other oxidation zone minerals.
Notable Occurrences include the famous mines at Mapimi, Mexico; also Greece and California and Utah, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, luster, density, fluorescences and associations.

Colors: Typically green due to trace amounts copper and or uranium, yellow, rarely white and occasionally purple due to trace amount of cobalt.
Hardness: 3.5


Aegerine

Aegerine is a stone that is to energize individuals, or in conjunction with Reiki, a person, place, or event in time and space.
It protects against psychic attacks and negative energy in general.
It can be used when experiencing a broken relationship, to help eliminate group or peer pressure, and for strengthening self-acceptance.
It builds self-esteem and helps an individual follow their own path while being true to their own values.
Aegerine associates with the root and solar plexus chakras.
Aegerine strengthens the immune system, making it ideal for general healing practices.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Specimens are generally opaque to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include long prismatic crystals terminated by a steep asymmetrical pyramid. Also as disseminated grains, compact and fibrous.
Cleavage is perfect in two directions at near 90 degree angles.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.5 - 3.6 (above average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white or gray.
Other Characteristics: Splinters or thin edges are translucent green.
Associated Minerals are augite, nepheline, andradite, barite, quartz, spessartine, riebeckite, biotite, sodalite and albite
Notable Occurrences include Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Kongsberg, Norway; Narsarssuk, Greenland; Kola Peninsula, Russia; Magnet Cove Arkansas, USA; Kenya; Scotland and Nigeria.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit (especially its steep pyramids), density, cleavage, color and hardness.

Colors: black to greenish or brownish black Hardness: 6 to 6.5


Aeschynite

If you have any metaphysical or intuitive information on Acanthite, please contact me. Thank you!

Luster is vitreous to adamantine or pitchy when more massive.
Transparency: Crystals are nearly opaque in massive forms and translucent in small crystals.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include tabular to prismatic almost blocky crystals, some with well formed domal terminations.
Often embedded in the matrix of the host pegmatite; as well as granular and massive.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 5 - 6
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.9 - 5.1 (heavy for non-metallic minerals).
Streak is reddish brown or reddish yellow.
Other Characteristics: Weathered crystals/specimens are often coated with a limonite like earthy coating.
Associated Minerals include quartz, feldspars, euxenite, fergusonite, monazite, columbite, tantalite, allanite, gadolinite, xenotime and zircon.
Notable Occurrences include the Ural Mountains of Russia; Urstad, Hittero, Norway and Madagascar.
Best Field Indicators are luster, fracture, color, streak, associations, environment and specific gravity.

Colors: black to dark brown or yellowish brown Hardness: 5 to 6


Agate, Red

Red Agate is stimulating and also bolsters strength, courage, and longevity.
It enhances physical love, promotes healing, assists with protection, and is a good gardening companion.

Agate, Banded

Relates to courage and success in competitive situations.

Agate, Black

Protection from physical dangers and general grounding properties.

Agate, Black & White

Stress reduction and calming effects can be realized when using this stone.

Agate, Blue Lace

Excellent in spiritual work, throat chakra stimulation, and general communication activities.

Agate, Brown or Tawny

This stone is an all-around health stone.

Agate, Green

A gardener's stone that can also attract wealth, but not necessarily in the form of money.

Agate, Moss

A stone of peace and inner calm.
Moss Agate can enhance personal goals and also encourage general prosperity.
It is used in past life work and to communicate with nature spirits.
It is also for general grounding of one's spiritual energies within the physical realm.
General Agate Notes:
Colors: from gray-blue to beige, reddish to brown, usually arranged in layers, in multiple stripes, patterns and decorative shapes
Hardness: 6.5 to 7

Ajoite

Ajoite is a stone of peace and harmony.
It helps to release sorrow, anger, fear, and heal emotional wounds.
Ajoite is used to make connections to "All That There Is."
Used in meditation, Ajoite can help release negative energy from the physical, emotional, and energetic self.
It acts as a stone of transformation, and helps brings change.
Ajoite relates to the throat and heart chakras.

Luster is dull to vitreous.
Transparency specimens are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is triclinic, bar 1.
Growth Habits include acicular to thin prismatic crystals often found as spherules or sprays of acicular radial crystal clusters and as massive specimens.
Cleavage is perfect.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 - 3.0 (average for non-metallic minerals).
Streak is pale greenish white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, limonite, mimetite, phoenicochroite, willemite, wickenburgite, shattuckite, copper, papagoite, plancheite, duftite and other secondary copper minerals.
Notable Occurrences are limited to the New Cornelia Mine, Ajo District, Pima County and Wickenburg, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA and the Messina District, South Africa.
Best Field Indicators are color, crystal habit, locality and associations.

Colors: blue-green to light green Hardness: 3.5


Alabaster (Gypsum)

Relieves tension, increases concentration.

Colors: white, gray to black (transparent), yellowish, reddish or sand colored
Hardness: 1.5 to 2


Albite

Blood purification, disorders, circulation, blood pressure.

Luster is vitreous to dull if weathered.
Transparency crystals are translucent to opaque and only sometimes transparent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include blocky, tabular and platy crystals.
The typical crystal has a nearly rectangular or square cross-section with slightly slanted dome and pinacoid terminations.
A variety called Cleavelandite forms very thin platy crystals that can grow rather large (15+ cm across) but can maintain an even thickness of only a few millimeters.
Twinning is almost universal in albite.
Crystals can be twinned according to the Albite, Carlsbad, Manebach and Baveno laws. Albite is a common constituent of granitic and syenite rocks. Can also be massive.
Cleavage is perfect in one and good in another direction forming nearly right angled prisms.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.61 (average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, tourmaline and muscovite.
Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.53. Lamellar twinning may cause a grooved effect on crystal surfaces that appear as striations.
Some albite may show an opalescence due to twinning and is referred to as moonstone.
Notable Occurrences include Labrador, Canada and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Best Field Indicators are occurence, crystal habit, twinning, striations, density and index of refraction

Colors: usually white (Albite is derived from the same root word as albino) or colorless but can be shades of blue, yellow, orange and brown
Hardness: 6 to 6.5


Alexandrite

I am Alexandrite, "Emerald by day and Ruby by night."
I am one of the few gemstones whose color changes dramatically under different lights: green, blue-green, or pale green in daylight to mauve, violet-red or purplish in incandescent light.
Stories say that I was discovered in 1830 on the same day Czar Alexander II came of age and thus was given the name Alexandrite.
I was, at first, exclusive to Russia and displayed their national military colors of green and red, and therefore was long held in very high esteem by Russian aristocrats and royalty.
Alexandrite represents the June birthstone.
It is believed to be a true good luck charm, and is a sophisticated stone that brings life to your more refined and elegant side.
It is also thought to bring good fortune, especially when the sun is shining.
When worn on the left hand, it is said to help inhibit undesirable energies from other people's emotions as well as inanimate sources such as microwaves or power lines.
When worn on the chest, Alexandrite suspends intense emotional states, allowing you to operate in a more neutral way.
When worn in the ears, it inhibits excessive intellectual processing to allow you to maintain an outwardly directed focus.

Qualities - The red and green are always present in Alexandrite but they fight for dominance.
If there is more red in the light (i.e. candlelight or incandescent) the reddish nature prevails.
Daylight and most fluorescent light has a greater predominance of blue, hence an Alexandrite will appear bluish green.
It is extremely rare to find just the right trace amount of chromium in a natural stone to make this dramatic color change possible, therefore fine natural Alexandrite commands very high prices.
Care - Although Alexandrite has a high hardness number of 8 1/2, some care must be taken to avoid knocking it against hard surfaces.
It should not be exposed to excessive heat (such as a jeweler's torch) as that could effect color change.
Why Alexandrite? - While today we are not limited by tradition, the symbolism of Alexandrite is treasured as a gift for June birthdays and the 55th wedding anniversary.

Alexandrite helps balance the emotional state, it provides confidence, and increases self-esteem.
It also brings happiness. Even success. It may also intensify feelings of love and sensuality.
High quality alexandrite is one of the most expensive of all gemstones.

VARIETY OF: Chrysoberyl , BeAl2 O4
USES: Gemstone
BIRTHSTONE FOR: June
INDEX OF REFRACTION: 1.745 - 1.757
BIREFRINGENCE: 0.009
CLEAVAGE: good in one direction, imperfect in another
CRYSTAL SYSTEM: orthorhombic

Colors: green/red, gray, greenish, the stone changes its color according to the light falling on it: it is green in daylight and red under artificial light
Hardness: 8.5


Almandine

A red garnet with a violet tint.
Brings spirituality to relationships.
Helps in the transition from romance to a spiritual commitment in love.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include the typical rhombic dodecahedron. also seen is the 24 sided trapezohedron.
Combinations of these forms are common and sometimes the rare faces of the hexoctahedron, a 48 sided crystal habit that rarely is seen by itself, can also combine with these other forms making very attractive, complex and multifaceted crystals.
Massive occurrences are also common. Crystals typically embedded and isolated, from other alamadine crystals, in metamorphic rocks.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.3 (above average for translucent minerals and the highest density of all garnets)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are micas, staurolite, quartz and feldspars.
Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.83 and multiplicity of faces give a striated appearance on some crystals.
Notable Occurrences include Wrangel Alaska; Germany; Norway and India.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, density and hardness

Colors: typically red to brown, sometimes with a tinge of purple and sometimes a deep enough red to appear black
Hardness: 6.5 to 7.5


Altaite (Lead Telluride)

If you have any metaphysical data on Altaite, please contact me. Thank you!

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System: Isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m.
Crystal Habits include cubic and octahedral crystals; but much more commonly found in massive and granular forms.
Cleavage: perfect in three directions forming cubes.
Fracture: Uneven.
Specific Gravity is 8.2 - 8.3 (much heavier than average for metallic minerals)
Streak is black.
Associated Minerals include gold, silver, pyrite, nagyagite, sylvanite, calaverite, tetrahedrite, hessite, petzite, coloradoite, volynskite, sphalerite, rucklidgeite, tellurium, tetradymite, galena and other sulfides.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of the Altai Mountains (hence the name), Zyrianovsk, Kazakhstan as well as the Ritchie Creek Deposit, Price County, Wisconsin; Hilltop Mine, Organ Mountains, Dona Ana County, New Mexico; the Stanislaus Mine, Calaveras County; Sawmill Flat, Tuolumne County and the Providence Mine, Nevada County, California and the Campbell Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USA; Jewel Lake, Greenwood, British Columbia and Mattagami Lake Mine, Quebec, Canada; Sacaramb (Nagyag), Transylvania, Romania; Pribram, Czech Republic; Koch-Bulak Gold deposit, Kazakhstan; Moctezuma, Mexico and Coquimbo, Chile;
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, perfect cubic cleavage, associations and density

Colors: tin white to yellowish white; tarnishing to bronze yellow
Hardness: 2.5 to 3


Aluminum (Bauxite)

If you have any metaphysical data on Aluminum, please contact me. Thank you!

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is isometric.
Crystal Habits are limited to microscopic inclusions and as nodules in volcanic muds.
Cleavage is absent.
Specific Gravity is 2.72 (very light for metals).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include gold, copper, and zinc.
Notable Occurrences are limited to Russia, Zaire, and Baku, Azerbaidzhan.
Best Field Indicators: Rarity, color, softness, luster and locality

Colors: silvery white
Hardness: 1.5


Alunite (Angel Wing)

Alunite is a stone that can help balance yin/yang, physical and emotional energies as well as environmental energies, bringing unbalanced or dysfunctional energies into harmony.
Because of this, angel wing has a stabilizing and grounding effect.
For balancing energies in a room or other space, simply place angel wing in a corner or other inconspicuous place.
It is also beneficial in the arts, heightening creativity while at the same time grounding that creativity in current reality, thus bringing creative arts to life.
Angel Wing was used by Ancient Chinese and Egyptian cultures to reduce body odor.
Alunite is used in crystal healing for problems with eye-sight, body odor, excessive thirst, and dehydration.
Angel Wing has been related to the heart chakra, although it is more commonly related to the sacral and root chakras.

Luster is vitreous to pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal; 3 m
Crystal Habits include tabular to flattened rhombohedral looking crystals.
The "rhombohedrons" are actually a combination of two trigonal pyramids.
Crystals are somewhat scarce, small and usually line the fissures in alunite rocks, more commonly as earthy masses, films or crusts, botryoidal and granular.
Cleavage is fair in one direction (basal), but only seen in the larger crystals.
Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.7 - 2.8+ (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Some specimens fluoresce a nice orange color under longwave UV light.
Does not react to acids except to slowly dissolve, unlike dolomite and calcite.
Also pyroelectric and piezoelectric.
Notable Occurrences include Marysvale, Utah; Red Mountain, Custer County, Colorado and Goldfield district, Nevada, USA and Tolfa, Italy.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, non-reaction to acids and hardness.

Colors: te or gray to reddish
Hardness: 3.5 to 4


Amazonite

Amazonite is a mint green to aqua green stone.
Amazonite can create power.
It facilitates truth, communication, trust, and clairvoyance.
Amazonite can enhance psychic ability.
Amazonite is associated with the throat chakra.
It aligns the physical and energetic bodies.
It lessens stressors by its calming nature.
Amazonite heals emotional problems and effects of trauma.
Amazonite helps one to make difficult decisions.
It is a good stone for writers and creative people.
Use Amazonite to calm yourself after exposure to negativity.

Colors: green, blue-green as a result of copper traces
Hardness: 6 to 6.5


Amber

Amber is especially favored by Thunder Healing Practice.
Its projective forces bring luck, healing, strength, beauty and love.
It is not actually a stone--it is the fossilized resin of coniferous trees (see pine). Amber becomes electrically charged when rubbed with a cloth.
Amber transmutes negative energy into positive, it calms nerves, and brightens one's disposition while purifying energy and instilling inner warmth.
It promotes good general health.
Amber presents a soothing, light energy that is both calming and energizing at the same time.
It can help one realize goals and heightens cognitive work, brings clarity of thought, and general wisdom.
It cleans its environment by drawing out negativity, and relieves pain in the same manner.
It brings patience, protection, psychic shielding, romantic love, sensuality, purification, balance, healing and calmness.
It is considered a good luck charm for marriage.
Amber is excellent for inner child work and past life work.
Amber is associated with the solar plexus chakra and sometimes the sacral chakra.

Luster is resinous
Transparency: Transparent to translucent.
Crystal System does not apply because amber is amorphous (meaning it does not have an ordered structure).
Habits include nodules embedded in shales or sandstones and those that are washed up on beaches.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 1.1 (extremely light and can float in salty water).
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Can be burned, fluorescent under UV light and is much tougher (will not crumble as easily) than modern tree resins.
Notable Occurrences include all Baltic countries; Venezuela; Russia; Romania; Burma; in coal seams in Wyoming, USA and the Dominican Republic.
Best Field Indicators are color, density, toughness, softness and trapped insects.

Colors: light yellow to reddish brown, white, blue, greenish
Hardness: 2 to 2.5


Amblygonite

A golden-yellow to clear color.
Is said to increase a feeling of one's own worth.
It helps us develop empathy, self-confidence and thoughtfulness towards others.

Luster is vitreous to greasy and pearly on cleavage surfaces.
Transparency: Specimens are translucent to less commonly transparent.
Crystal System is triclinic, bar 1.
Crystal Habits include short prismatic, tabular or equant crystals referred to as lath-shaped, but more commonly found as anhedral masses and compact grains.
Twinning forms elongated, flatten crystals. Lamellar twinning is sometimes seen.
Cleavage is in four directions all with varying quality with one direction being perfect, two directions being good and one direction being only distinct.
All cleavage angles are non-right angles.
Fracture is uneven to conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.98 - 3.11 (slightly above average).
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: When powdered and placed in a gas flame, it gives the flame a bright red color and this indicates the presence of lithium.
Some specimens are fluorescent orange in long-wave UV light.
Associated Minerals include lepidolite, quartz, albite, elbaite, topaz, cassiterite, apatite, brazilianite, beryllonite, montebrasite, triphylite, lithiophilite and spodumene
Notable Occurrences are Minas Gerais, Brazil; Montebras, France; Germany; Varutrask, Sweden; Sakangyi, Burma; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.
In the United States localities include Pala District of San Diego County, California; Newry, Hebron, Buckfield and Topsham, Maine; Taos County, New Mexico; Yavapai County, Arizona and the Black Hills area of South Dakota.
Best Field Indicators are density, associations, environment, lithium flame test and especially the numerous cleavage angles.

Colors: white or creamy, but can also be colorless or pale yellow, green, blue, beige, gray or pink
Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Amethyst

Amethyst is used to overcome intoxication and addictions.
It is used in spiritual work and dream recall.
Extensively used for meditation.
Amethyst provides common sense.
Wear Amethyst to reduce anger and impatience.
Amethyst contains the grounding color of red with the energy of blue.

It helps to bring calmness when there is anxiety.
Amethyst facilitates spiritual, mystic, and psychic activities.
Excellent in helping with alcohol, food, sex, and other addictions.
Eases compulsive and obsessive behavior.
A useful detoxifier.

Amethyst is enhanced when combined with Rose Quartz.

Colors: violet, light to dark through iron inclusions
Hardness: 7


Ametrine

Disperses negativity from the aura.
It assists in reaching higher states of awareness in meditation.
A highly recommended Thunder Healing Reiki Stone!
Ametrine is both Amethyst and Citrine.
It contains the properties of both of those stones.
This stone enhances equilibrium and provides a connection between the physical and the non-physical.
It also balances male/female.
Amethyst stimulates intellect, and is excellent in meditation and attunements.
Ametrine can also help one to reach higher states of consciousness.
Use Ametrine to enhance compatibility.

Colors: violet, golden, translucent
Hardness: 7


Ammonite

Protective stone, it aids in the birthing process and provides relaxation

Analcime


Anapaite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is triclinic, bar 1
Crystal Habits include characteristically indistinct prismatic crystals and aggregates
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.8 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white
Associated Minerals are limonite and vivianite
Anapaite often forms in fossil clam shells, coal beds (rarely) or phosphatic geodes
Notable Occurrences include Anapa (hence the name), Taman Peninsula, Russia; Kerch Peninsula, Crimea, Ukraine; Bellaver de Cerdena, Spain; Kings County, California, USA and Germany
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, localities, associations with fossils and phosphatic geodes and color

Colors: green or white
Hardness: 3.5


Anatase

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is Orthorhombic; 2/m2/m2/m
Crystal Habits include prismatic crystals with a square cross section terminated by a pinacoid. also massive and granular
Cleavage is good in two directions
Fracture is splintery to subconchoidal
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.15+ (above average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are cordierite, biotite, feldspars, quartz, kyanite and sillimanite
Other Characteristics: dark inclusions produce cruciform shapes in the variety, chiastolite
Index of refraction is 1.632-1.638.
Notable Occurrences include Andalusia, Spain; Austria; California, USA and China
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, inclusions (if present) and hardness

Colors: white, red, brown, orange and green. Hardness: 7.5


Andalusite

Andalusite ( "The Seeing Stone" ) is used to calmly see the parts of one's character
It is also used to see different sides of a problem or situation, and is used for scrying purposes
Andalusite can enhance memory and recall and bring moderation and balance
Physically, Andalusite is used in crystal healing, eye problems, deficiencies in calcium, oxygen, iodine, and water retention
Andalusite is associated with the solar plexus and heart chakras

Colors: brown-yellowish crystal, cruciform cross section
Hardness: 6 to 7.5


Andradite

Luster is vitreous
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include the typical rhombic dodecahedron
Also seen is the 24 sided trapezohedron
Combinations of these forms are common and sometimes the rare faces of the hexoctahedron, a 48 sided crystal habit that rarely is seen by itself, can also combine with these other forms making very attractive, complex and multifaceted crystals
Massive occurrences are also common
Commonly forms crust that shows many rhombic faces
Cleavage is absent
Fracture is conchoidal
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.8+ (above average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white
Associated Minerals are micas, chlorite, diopside and serpentine
Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.89 (highest of the garnets)
Notable Occurrences include Arizona; ural mountains in Russia; Italy and California
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, index of refraction and hardness.

Colors: greenish gray to green but also black, yellow and rarely colorless
Hardness: 6.6 to 7.5


Anhydrite (Angelite)

This stone facilitates strength and allows understanding of the physical body as a transient vehicle.
It guides and is helpful in examining future events.
It helps develop stamina and provides loving communication with others with a different view.
Protection, strength, and excellent for creative endeavors.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include the tabular, rectangular box formed by three pinacoids, often elongated in one direction forming a prismatic crystal.
Most commonly massive and granular.
Cleavage is in three directions forming rectangles, but perfect in one, very good in another and only marginally good in the third direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are calcite, halite, and occassionally sulfides such as galena and pyrite.
Other Characteristics: some specimens fluoresce under UV light.
Notable Occurences include Mexico; Peru; Germany and New Mexico.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, rectangular and non-uniform cleavage and low density.

Colors: ordinarily white, gray or colorless but also blue to violet Hardness: 3.5


Anglesite

A white metallic mineral.
Promotes sensitivity, gentleness, relaxation and tenderness.

Luster is adamantine.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include the bladed or tabular crystals that are dominated by two large pinacoid faces top and bottom and small prism faces forming a jutting angle on every side.
There are many variations of these faces and complex forms can occur. If the pinacoid faces become diminished or are absent, the resulting prismatic crystal has a rhombic cross section.
Anglesite typically forms a flattened blade that juts out from a host rock and with what appears to be a steep dome termination but is actually two faces of another rhombic prism.
Also forms crusts and is granular and massive.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction, less so in two other directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 2.5 - 3.
Specific Gravity is approximately 6.3+ (very heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are galena, cerussite, barite and limonite.
Other Characteristics: Index of refraction is 1.88+ (very high), some specimens fluoresce yellow under UV light.
Notable Occurences include Tsumeb, Nambia; Australia; England, Mexico and Toussit, Morocco.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, high luster and color.

Colors: colorless, white and yellow; also pale gray, blue and green Hardness: 2.5 to 3


Ankerite

Luster is vitreous to pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are commonly translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3.
Crystal Habits generally are curved rhombohedral, can also be compact, granular and massive.
Cleavage is perfect in three directions, forming rhombs.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 3.0 - 3.1 (average).
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Indices of refraction are 1.54 and 1.73.
Crystals tend to be brittle and will dissolve in hydrochloric acid with some effervescence.
Associated Minerals include sulfide ores such as pyrrhotite, sphalerite and galena and other carbonates such as calcite, dolomite, rhodochrosite and siderite.
Also found with quartz, albite and chlorite.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Styria, Austria as well as the Homestake Mine, South Dakota and Calaveras County, California, USA; Chuhuahua, Mexico; Australia; New Zealand; Hungary; England; Transvaal, South Africa; Peru and Eastern Canada.
Best Field Indicators are its crystal habit, hardness, cleavage, color and associations

Colors: off-white, brown and gray; also yellow to orange. Hardness: 3.5 to 4


Annabergite

Luster is vitreous to adamantine to dull in massive or powdered forms.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include flattened striated blades or radiating accicular crystals, but large crystals are extremely rare.
More commonly as crusts or powdery masses.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is flaky.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 - 3.1 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is pale green or gray, in gray specimens.
Associated Minerals are niccolite, skutterudite, gersdorffite and erythrite.
Other Characteristics: Thin flakes are flexible.
Notable Occurrences include Cobalt, Ontario; Lavrion, Greece; Humboldt, Nevada, USA; Sierra Cabrera, Spain and Germany.
Best Field Indicators are color, softness, associations, and flexible crystals.

Colors: bright apple green to pale green or gray in massive and thin crust forms
Hardness: 1.5 to 2.5


Anorthite

Luster is vitreous to dull if weathered.
Transparency crystals are translucent to opaque and only sometimes transparent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include blocky, or tabular crystals. Rarely are free crystals seen but they have a nearly rectangular or square cross-section with slanted dome and pinacoid terminations. Twinning is almost universal in all plagioclases. Crystals can be twinned according to the Albite, Carlsbad, Manebach and Baveno laws.
Anorthite is usually found in contact metamorphic limestones and as a constituent in mafic igneous rocks.
Cleavage is perfect in one and good in another direction forming nearly right angled prisms.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.76 (average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are biotite, augite, hornblende and pyroxenes.
Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.575 to 1.591. Lamellar twinning may cause a grooved effect on crystal and cleavage surfaces that appear as striations.
Notable Occurrences include Lake Co, California; Franklin, New Jersey and Italy.
Best Field Indicators are occurence, twinning striations, density and index of refraction.

Colors: white, gray or colorless but can be pale shades of other colors
Hardness: 6 to 6.5


Anthophyllite

Anthrophyllite crystallizes in layers of thin plates.
It is used to teach one that the bonds, restrictions and constraints placed upon a person are self-imposed and easily discarded.
It helps one to decide, with the heart, what is truly important.

Luster is vitreous to dull or silky in fibrous forms.
Transparency: Crystals are translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m.
Crystal Habits include prismatic often aggregated crystals and fibrous, asbestos-like masses.
Cleavage: is good in two directions at 56 and 124 degree angles forming wedge shapes fragments.
Fracture is easy and splintery.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 - 3.4 (average to slightly above average).
Streak is gray.
Other Characteristics: Weakly pleochroic and a blue schiller effect is seen in some specimens from Butte, Montana.
Associated Minerals are talc, cordierite and phlogopite.
Notable Occurrences include Butte, Montana; Delaware County, Pennsylvania; California; Arizona and Franklin County, North Carolina, USA; Ontario, Canada; Greenland; Kongsburg, Norway and Italy.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, fracture, cleavage, color, streak and hardness.

Colors: us shades of brown such as yellow-brown, green-brown or brownish-gray, but also green, off-white or gray
Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Antimony (Stibnite)

Protection and is conducive to meditation.
It is the totem stone of the Wolf.

Colors: gray; also in various shades of gray ranging from blue-gray, bluish steel gray or black

Luster is metallic but the tarnish will often dull the luster.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include pseudocubic rhombohedral crystals. More commonly found massive, botryoidal, lamellar and radiating.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal).
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 6.6 - 6.7+ (heavy for a metallic mineral)
Streak is tin-white to gray.
Associated Minerals include sphalerite, stibnite and nickeline.
Other Characteristics: Does not have a garlic odor.
Notable Natural Occurrences include Chihuahua, Mexico; Wolfe Co., Quebec, Canada and Kern Co., California, USA.
Best Field Indicators are density, softness, color, crystal habits, lack of smell and associations.

Colors: tin-white to a steel gray which can tarnish to darker grays
Hardness: 2


Antlerite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include small tabular crystals and acicular or fibrous crystal aggregates that form into coatings and tufts.
Also found in veins and as reniform, massive or granular specimens.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction and poor in another.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.9 (above average for translucent minerals) Streak is pale green.
Other Characteristics: Does not effervesce in hydrochloric acid and crystals can be vertically striated.
Associated Minerals are limonite, brochantite, cuprite, malachite, gypsum, chalcanthite, atacamite and azurite.
Notable Occurrences include Chuquicamata, Chile; Mexico and the Antler mine (from where it gets its name) and Bisbee, Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Utah, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, associations, hardness, cleavage, non-reaction to hydrochloric acid and color.

Colors: bright emerald green or dark green to almost black
Hardness: 3.5


Apache Tear

The apache tear has projective qualities and helps in protection.
Apache Tears are said to especially relieve grief and sadness as well as assisting in giving and accepting forgiveness.
They can help release negative emotions, and they also can balance one's emotional state.
They are good luck stones, said to bring good luck to anyone who has one.
They are excellent meditation tools, especially for clarifying issues and gaining insight.
Apache Tears are a gently grounding stone.
Apache Tears are reputed to alleviate muscle spasms and eliminate toxins from the body.

Colors: black, translucent; different color effects from traces of different metals such as iron, titanium, manganese
Hardness: 7


Apatite (Blue)

Apatite stimulates thoughts and ideas.
It increases intellect, imagination, and intuitive awareness.
In meditation, it helps maintain focus, learning, concentration, clear thought, and communication.
Apatite can enhance other crystals and stones.
Apatite brings harmony and inner peace.
Physically, it can assist with nails, allergies, arthritis, bones, muscles, and the nervous system.
Apatite is primarily related to the throat chakra.

Luster is vitreous to greasy and gumdrop.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is hexagonal; 6/m
Crystal Habits include the typical hexagonal prism with the hexagonal pyramid or a pinacoid or both as a termination.
Also accicular, granular, reniform and massive.
A cryptocrystalline variety is called collophane and can make up a rock type called phosphorite and also can replace fossil fragments.
Cleavage is indistinct in one basal direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.1 - 3.2 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are hornblende, micas, nepheline and calcite.
Other Characteristics: An unusual "partially dissolved" look similar to the look of previously sucked on hard candy.
Notable Occurrences include Durango, Mexico; Bancroft, Ontario; Germany and Russia.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, hardness and look

Colors: typically green but also yellow, blue, reddish brown and purple
Hardness: 5


Apophyllite

Apophyllite refers to a group of phyllosilicate minerals, minerals that include mica.
Apophyllite is a powerful meditation tool.
Apophyllite can also be used to activate/open the heart chakra, to energize a closed heart, and to stimulate joy.
Apophyllite can be used for astral travel.
It is excellent in raising the energy within an environment.
This stone is useful in dreamwork.
It is also good for connecting to the energy of the moon.

Luster is vitreous to pearly on cleavage surfaces.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is tetragonal; 4/m 2/m 2/m; natroapophyllite is orthorhombic, 2/m 2/m 2/m.
Crystal Habits include four sided prisms (with a square cross-section) truncated with either a steep four sided pyramid or a pinacoid termination or both. If the pyramids are missing, the crystals can look cubic. Rarely are the prisms missing, but if they are, crystals could appear octahedral because of the four sided pyramids. The faces of the pyramids do not lineup with the prism faces but with their edges, therefore the pyramid faces have four edges and appear diamond shaped instead of triangular like the pyramid faces of quartz.
Rare tabular hydroxyapophyllite crystals are also known.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal).
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.3 - 2.4 (lighter than most translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Prism faces are striated lengthwise, some specimens are fluorescent and crystals will flake when heated.
Associated Minerals are prehnite, quartz, heulandite, stilbite, natrolite, analcime, datolite, babingtonite, cavansite, calcite, idocrase, wollastonite, kinoite, gyrolite and many other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences are extensive and include the Deccan Traps (ancient basalt flows) in India especially around Poona, also found in Christmas Mine, Arizona; Fairfax, Virginia; Upper Peninsula, Michigan; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Paterson, New Jersey and North Carolina, USA; Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Isle of Skye, Scotland; Collinward, Northern Ireland; Mexico; Nova Scotia and Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada; Iceland; Kongsberg, Norway; Harz Mountains, Germany and Sampo Mine, Takahashi, Okayama, Honshu, Japan.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, striations, associations, environment of formation, cleavage and luster on cleavage surfaces.

Colors: clear, white, green, yellow, pink, violet or rarely brown
Hardness: 4.5 to 5


Aquamarine (blue beryl)

Aquamarine is a stone of courage.
It assists with quick intellectual processing and it brings peace and shielding to the aura.
Aquamarine calms communication issues and is good for protection at sea.
Aquamarine is associated with the throat chakra.
used for protection, it can relieve pain and bolster good health.

Colors: translucent light blue to sea green
Hardness: 7.5 to 8


Aragonite

Translucent purple-pink-brown hexagonal, or white needle crystals.
Used for deep, peaceful meditation and to uplift emotional states.
Also used for centering, patience under stress, and personal challenges.
Balances yin and yang.

Luster is vitreous to dull.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include twinned hexagonal prismatic crystals as well as a diverse assortment of thin elongated prismatic, curved bladed, steep pyramidal (spiked) and chisel shaped crystals.
A branching tree, coral or worm-like delicate form is called "flos ferri". Can also be compact, granular, radially fibrous and massive. Its massive forms can be layered, coralloid, pisolitic, oolitic, globular, stalachtitic and encrusting.
Aragonite is a constituent of many species' shell structures.
A layered sedimentary marble like formation is called Mexican Onyx and is used for carvings and ornamental purposes.
Calcite pseudomorphs of aragonite crystals and formations are common.
Cleavage is distinct in one direction (pinacoidal).
Fracture is subconchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 2.9+ (average for non-metallic minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: aragonite effervesces easily in cold dilute hydrochloric acid, is strongly birefringent, is fluorescent and its refractive index is 1.7.
Associated Minerals include gypsum, barite, smithsonite, malachite, calcite, serpentine, sulfur, celestite, zeolites, quartz, clays, dolomite, limonite, chalcopyrite and wulfenite among many others.
Notable Occurrences include Aragon, Spain (its type locality and from where it gets its name); Morocco; Bastennes, France; Girgenti, Sicily; Alston Moor and Cleator Moor, Cumberland, England; Baja California, Mexico (Mexican Onyx); Tsumeb, Namibia; Carinthia, Austria; Leadhills, Scotland; Harz Mountains, Germany and in several localities in the Southwestern United States.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habits, single plane of cleavage and reaction to acid.

Colors: white, yellowish, red-brown, brown
Hardness: 3.5 to 4


Arsenic

Luster is metallic but the tarnish will often dull the luster dramatically.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include rare pseudocubic rhombohedral crystals and acicular radial aggregates.
More commonly found in fine grained masses with concentric bands or botryoidal crusts.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal), but rarely visible.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 5.4 - 5.9+ (somewhat heavy for a metallic mineral)
Streak is black.
Associated Minerals include silver, dyscrasite, barite, cinnabar and nickeline.
Other Characteristics: Will often have a garlic odor and is poisonous.
Notable Natural Occurrences include Vosges, France; Kongsberg, Norway; Saxony and Harz Mountains, Germany; Honshu, Japan; England; Italy and Santa Cruz Co., Arizona and New Jersey, USA.
Best Field Indicators are tarnish, density, softness, crystal habits, color, garlic smell and associations.

Colors: tin-white which quickly tarnishes to dark gray or black
Hardness: 3 to 4


Arsenopyrite

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include prismatic crystals with a diamond cross section terminated by either a steep dome (actually two of the four faces of a prism) or a less inclined dome, also short stubby crystals doubly terminated with domes.
Twinning is common, often bending the crystal and sometimes forming crosses, x's or stars.
Cleavage is distinct in two directions forming prisms.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 6.1+ (heavier than average for metallic minerals)
Streak is dark gray to black
Other Characteristics: Striations on dome faces, bitter smell when powdered or broken.
Associated Minerals are gold, siderite, pyrite and other sulfides.
Notable Occurrences include Kyushu Island and Iname, Japan; Cornwall, England; Bolivia; Freiberg, Germany; Wawa area of Ontario, Canada and Valais, Switzerland.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, cleavage, smell when struck, color and luster.

Colors: brassy white to gray
Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Arsentsumebite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic.
Crystal Habits include tabular crystals that can form twinned trillings and also as crusts.
Cleavage: None.
Fracture: Uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 6.4 (heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is green.
Associated Minerals include azurite, cerussite and smithsonite.
Notable Occurrences are limited to Tsumeb, Namibia and a few other sites.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, locality, associations, density and color

Colors: green Hardness: 3


Arthurite

Luster is vitreous to pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic.
Crystal Habits include prismatic to acicular crystals and globular aggregates and crusts.
Cleavage is not observed.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 - 3.2 (average for translucent minerals).
Streak is green.
Associated Minerals are pharmacosiderite, beudantite and other secondary arsenate minerals.
Notable Occurrences include Calstock, Cornwall, England; Atacama Province, Chile and Majuba Hill, Nevada, USA.
Best Field Indicators are color, crystal habit, streak and associations

Colors: apple green to emerald green
Hardness: 3 to 4


Artinite

Luster is silky to fibrous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include radiating spherical aggregates of acicular to fibrous crystals.
Specific Gravity is 2.0 (very light)
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is fibrous.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include serpentine, hydromagnesite, talc and olivine.
Notable Occurrences include San Benito Co., California and Long Island, New York, USA and Campo Franscia, Lombardia, Italy.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habits, color, associations, softness and density.

Colors: white or colorless.
Hardness: 2


Astrophyllite

Luster is vitreous or submetallic to metallic, can be pearly on cleavage surfaces.
Transparency: crystals are translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include small tabular or bladed crystals often grouped in starlike aggregates. Also found in lamellar massives.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 3.3 - 3.4
Streak is yellowish white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, feldspars, nepheline, micas and aegirine.
Other Characteristics: color is often patchy or heterogenous in distribution.
Notable Occurrences include Kola Peninsula, Khibina, Russia; Colorado, USA and Mt St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada.
Best Field Indicators brittleness, cleavage, color, luster and localities

Colors: golden yellow or yellowish brown, but also greenish brown specimens are found
Hardness: 3


Atacamite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is Orthorhombic; 2/m2/m2/m
Crystal Habits include slender striated crystals that can be accicular to fibrous.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is splintery.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.75+ (above average)
Streak is pale green.
Associated Minerals include limonite, chyrsocolla, brochantite, pseudomalachite, connellite, linarite, caledonite, libethenite, cornetite, cuprite and malachite.
Other Characteristics: crystals are vertically striated.
Notable Occurrences include Atacama Desert, Chile; Mt. Vesuvius, Italy; Wallaroo, Australia; Mexico and Pinal County, Arizona, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations and localities

Colors: dark green
Hardness: 3 to 3.5


Augelite

Luster is vitreous. Transparency: Specimens are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include tiny to microscopic tabular or platy crystals with an overall triangular aspect or larger equant complex crystals and found massive.
Cleavage is good in two directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.7 (average).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include andalusite, lithiophilite and triphylite and other phosphates.
Notable Occurrences include the Vestana Mine, Nastum, Skane Sweden; Oruro, Bolivia; Rapid Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada; White Picacho district, Arizona; North Groton, New Hampshire; in the Black Hills region of South Dakota and especially at White Mountain, Mono County, California, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, localities and cleavage.

Colors: colorless, white or pale shades of yellow, blue, pink or rose
Hardness: 4.5 to 5


Augite

Green to black.
Is associated with prosperity, success, good fortune and luck.
It helps us to be at the right place at the right time.

Luster is vitreous to submetallic and even dull.
Transparency crystals are transparent to mostly translucent or opaque.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include short prismatic, rarely tabular crystals.
The square cross section is distinctive in the prismatic crystals. Also compact, granular, columnar, lamellar and fibrous (rare).
Cleavage is perfect in two lengthwise directions at close to right angles.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.2 - 3.6 (slightly above average)
Streak is greenish white.
Other Characteristics: The basal parting is prominent.
Associated Minerals are olivine, biotite, nepheline, albite, apatite, serpentine, leucite and hornblende.
Notable Occurrences include Grand Co, Colorado, St. Lawrence Co., New York and Tillamook, Oregon, USA; Eifel, Germany; Mt. Vesuvius, Italy; France and the Bohemian regions of Europe.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, associations, color, parting and cleavage.

Colors: dark green, brown and black
Hardness: 5 to 6


Aurichalcite

Luster is silky to fibrous or pearly on more massive specimens.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2 2 2
Crystal Habits include radiating tufts of acicular crystals. also encrustations of fiberous or lamellar masses.
Specific Gravity is 3.6 - 4 (above average for non-metallic minerals)
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is uneven or fiberous.
Streak is white to pale shades that depend on color.
Associated Minerals include limonite, smithsonite, azurite, malachite, rosasite and calcite.
Other Characteristics: effervesces easily in cold dilute hydrochloric acid.
Notable Occurrences include Bisbee, Arizona; Laurium, Greece; Tsumeb, Namibia and Mapimi, Durango, Mexico.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habits, color, associations, softness and reaction to acid.

Colors: grass green but varies from white to green to greenish blue to light
Hardness: 3.5 to 6


Austinite

Green.
Is said to foster courage, daring, new beginnings and adventures.
It is protective of those who are young and free and willing to take a chance.

Luster is sub-adamantine or silky.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include acicular or bladed crystals in druses, radial aggregates or crusts, also fibrous.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction lengthwise.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.1 (heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is white to pale green.
Associated Minerals are adamite, legrandite, limonite, smithsonite, aragonite and other oxidation zone minerals.
Notable Occurrences include Mapimi, Mexico; Tsumeb, Namibia and Toole Co., Utah, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, cleavage, color, luster, density, lack of fluorescence and associations.

Colors: bright green, but also colorless, white or pale yellow
Hardness: 4 to 4.5


Aventurine

Adventurine is used to strengthen mental powers, eyesight, and the circulatory system in general.
It help to alleviate headaches, improve general health, and sleep disorders.
Adventurine can increase luck and Green Aventurine is a stone of prosperity.
This "all-around luck stone" will enhance all areas of creativity and imagination, as well as intellect and mental clarity.
Energetically, Adventurine is a gentle stone that gives a sense of calm and balance.
Aventurine brings friendship.

Colors: shimmering light green, sometimes with glittering inclusions of chrome mica, from which its color comes; the more light the stone receives, the more beautiful its colors are


Axinite

Axinite is a rare and unusual crystal that is a deep brownish red color.
It is a tabular crystal, very wedge-like in form.
This is a good crystal choice when going through change and transformation.
It allows you to gracefully make the change required for personal growth.
It is a very positive crystal that brings out the positive in everyone who encounters it.
This stone aids friendships.
Physically, Axinite treats disorders of the adrenal glands.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include flattened wedge shaped crystals, often with a spatula or knife-like shaped edge.
Also as granular and as parallel bladed aggregates.
Cleavage is good in one direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 - 3.4 (slightly above average for transparent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: crystals are heavily striated on some faces and manganese rich axinites have been known to be fluorescent red.
Associated Minerals are diopside, andradite, quartz, calcite, epidote, scheelite and prehnite.
Notable Occurrences include Madera Co., California and Franklin, New Jersey, USA; Baja California, Mexico; Bahia, Brazil; Switzerland; Obira, Japan; Cornwall, England and France.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, hardness, color and striations.

Colors: lilac brown but also yellow, yellow-orange, gray, pale blue and even black
Hardness: 6 to 7.5


Azeztulite

Azeztulites are said to be among the highest vibrations in the Mineral Kingdom.
Azeztulite quartz has strong synergistic connections with Phenacite, Moldavite, Danburite and Tanzanite.
Also with Sugilite, Lapis, Charoite, Larimar, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Seraphinite, Phenacite, Zincite, Labradorite, and Rhodochrosite Azeztulite is a stone with a very high energy vibration that is said to be from the Angelic realm.
It is an ascension stone that is used in psychic and mystical work to raise one's vibration.
Although Azeztulite is a type of quartz, it has much higher energy than regular quartz.
Azeztulite is used in meditation to expand and raise consciousness and bring great Light energy to the meditation.
This stone is also used by metaphysicians to help project positive energy to benefit self and other.
Azeztulite is also used on the third-eye to assist in clairvoyant viewing of the future.
This stone demonstrates no negative or neutral energy, but is truly positive in energy and never needs cleansing or reenergizing.
Crystal healers consider azeztulite energies to remove energetic blocks and snarls, allowing full flow of energy and healing dis-ease of all types.
Crystal healers also use azeztulite to assist in rapid but comfortable cellular regeneration and rejuvenation.
Azeztulite is related primarily with the crown and soulstar chakras.

Azurite

This stone is used to increase psychic powers.
Intuitively, Azurite stimulates the third eye while also stimulating the intellect, enhancing creativity, and bolstering self-confidence & love.
Azurite is called the "stone of heaven."
It aids in developing psychic awareness, psychic skills and abilities, enhances intuition, and is said to guide you to be accurate in depicting psychic experiences.
It is also an excellent stone for meditation, allowing you to enter a meditative state easily.
It can enhance prophesy and divination.
Azurite is said to help control energy flow and bring just the right amount of energy to any situation.
Physically, azurite is professed by folklore to be helpful for healing in general, cancer prevention, liver issues arthritis, joint problems, depression, sinuses, skin problems.
Azurite is most closely related to the third eye chakra, and can balance, stimulate, and empower it.
It will also work to align all of the chakras.

Luster is vitreous to dull depending on habit.
Transparency: Transparent if in thin crystals, otherwise translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habits crystals are irregular blades with wedge shaped terminations.
Also, aggregate crusts and radiating, botryoidal, nodular and earthy masses.
Cleavage is good in one direction and fair in another.
Fracture is conchoidal and brittle.
Specific Gravity is 3.7+ (heavier than average).
Streak is blue.
Associated Minerals are numerous and include malachite limonite, calcite, cerussite, quartz, chalcopyrite, native copper, cuprite, chrysocolla, aurichalcite, shattuckite, liroconite, connellite and other oxidized copper minerals.
Notable Occurrences include numerous localities worldwide, but special localities produce some outstanding specimens especially from Lasal, Utah; Bisbee, Arizona and New Mexico, USA; Mexico; Tsumeb, Nambia; Shaba, Congo; Toussit, Morocco; Australia and in many locations in Europe.
Best Field Indicators are color, softness, crystal habits and associations

Color: dark blue
Hardness: 3.5 to 4


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Babingtonite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are generally opaque but thin crystals or splinters can be translucent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include short stocky prismatic crystals or tabular to platy forms.
Cleavage is good in one direction and perfect in another, these are pinacoidal but are at near right angles to each other forming rectangular prisms.
Fracture is uneven to subconchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.3 (somewhat above average for translucent minerals)
Streak is brown to gray.
Associated Minerals are quartz, apophyllite, feldspars, heulandite, stilbite, scolecite and other zeolites.
Other Characteristics: weakly magnetic.
Notable Occurrences include Poona, India; Devon, England; Baveno, Italy and several locations in Massachusetts.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations with zeolites and luster.

Colors: black to dark green
Hardness: 5


Bakerite

Luster is vitreous as crystals; dull to sub-vitreous (porcelaneous) for nodules and masses.
Transparency crystals are opaque to translucent. v Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include prismatic, slanted (pseudo-rhombohedral) crystals and cauliflower-like nodules and compact masses.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Is non-fluorescent.
Associated Minerals include celestite and other minerals in altered volcanic rocks.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, Inyo County and at the Sterling Borax Mine in Tick Canyon, Los Angeles County, California, USA.
Best Field Indicators are locality, nodular character, hardness and non-fluorescence

Colors: white, colorless or gray
Hardness: 4.5


Baratovite

Luster is pearly.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic (pseudo-hexagonal); 2/m
Crystal Habits include flattened pseudohexagonal crystals also massive and lamellar.
Cleavage: perfect in one direction.
Fracture: uneven
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: fluoresces brilliant blue under UV light.
Associated Minerals include aegerine, misterite and other rare silicates.
Notable Occurrences include Dara-Pioz, Tien-Shan Mountains, Tadzhikistan.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, fluorescence, cleavage, associations and locality.

Colors: white with pinkish tints
Hardness: 3.5


Barite

Barite is used to enhance loyalty, harmony, intermission, relationships, motivation.
Barite is also used in dream work.
Physically, Barite is used to cleanse toxins from the system and to soothe a nervous stomach.
It is also helpful when dealing with addictions.
Blue Barite is used to stimulate conversation as well as bringing courage and comfort when speaking in front of large groups of people.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include the bladed crystals that are dominated by two large pinacoid faces top and bottom and small prism faces forming a jutting angle on every side.
There are many variations of these faces but the flattened blades and tabular crystals are the most common.
If the pinacoid faces become diminished or are absent, the resulting prismatic crystal has a rhombic cross section.
Also scaly, lamellar, and even fiberous.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction, less so in another direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.5 (heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are numerous but significant associations have been with chalcopyrite, calcite, aragonite, sulfur, pyrite, quartz, vanadinite, cerussite and fluorite among many others.
Other Characteristics: green color in flame test (see above).
Notable Occurences include Oklahoma, Connecticut and Colorado, USA; England and Germany.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, flame test and density

Colors: white, gray, yellow, blue, pink, greenish; a translucent form is also sometimes found
Hardness: 3 to 3.5


Bastnasite

Luster is pearly, vitreous, greasy to dull.
Transparency: Crystals are translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is hexagonal.
Crystal Habits include small hexagonal rounded flakes and short prismatic crystals, also in rosettes and spheres as well as massive and granular.
Bastnasite has been known to replace (pseudomorph) crystals of allanite.
Cleavage is distinct in one direction (basal) and poor in three directions (prismatic).
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 4.7 to 5.0 (well above average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are extensive and include albite, analcime, monazite, hematite, amphiboles, aegirine, rutile, rhodochrosite, ancylite-(Ce), calcite, apophyllite, cordylite, ashcroftine, fluorite, galena, donnayite, epididymite, apatite, serandite, zircon, elpidite, natrolite, pyrochlore, pyrophanite, astrophyllite, barite, brookite, leucophanite, lorenzenite, quartz, synchysite-(Ce), parisite, dolomite, strontianite, siderite and ankerite.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality at Bastnas Mine, Riddarhyttan, Vastmanland, Sweden as well as Fen, Norway; Bayan Obo, Mongolia; Kangankunde, Malawi; Kizilcaoren, Turkey; langesundsfjord area, Norway; Kola Peninsula, Russia; Mountain Pass, California, USA; Hungary; Greece; several sites in the Balkans; Mont Saint-Hilaire mines, Ontario and Thor Lake deposits, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Best Field Indicators: crystal habit, color, cleavage, density, luster and locality.

Colors: pale white, tan, gray, brown, yellow and pink
Hardness: 4 to 4.5


Baumhauerite

Luster is metallic to dull.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System: Triclinic; bar 1.
Crystal Habits include prismatic striated crystals with rounded faces; also in massive and granular forms.
Cleavage: Indistinct.
Fracture: Conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 5.3 (slightly heavier than average for metallic minerals)
Streak is dark brown.
Associated Minerals include dolomite, realgar and sartorite.
Notable Occurrences are limited to the type locality of the Lengenbach Quarry, Binnental, Valais, Switzerland and Franklin, New Jersey, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, locality, internal reflections, associations and density.

Colors: bright lead gray, blue gray to gray black (internal reflections will flash a red color
Hardness: 3


Bayldonite

Luster is resinous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic.
Crystal Habits include tabular crystals, radiating fibrous, granular and massive crusts.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is uneven.
Hardness is 4.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 5.5 (well above average for translucent minerals).
Streak is green.
Associated Minerals are duftite, mimetite, quartz, bindheimite, cerussite, wulfenite, mimetite, azurite and limonite.
Notable Occurrences include Penberthy Croft Mine and Wheal Carpenter Mine, St. Hilary and St. Day, Cornwall, England; Arizona, USA and Tsumeb, Namibia.
Best Field Indicators are color, crystal habit, streak, lack of cleavage, density, locality and associations

Colors: green to yellow-green or yellow
Hardness: 4.5


Beudantite

Luster is vitreous, adamantine to greasy.
Transparency: Specimens are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal: bar 3
Crystal Habits include blocky rhombohedrons, sometimes pseudo-cubic, and platy to tabular crystals. also as druses, crusts and earthy masses.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal), but not usually seen.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 4.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.3 - 4.5 (heavy for non-metallic minerals).
Streak is greenish yellow.
Associated Minerals include mimetite, jarosite, conichalcite, anglesite, galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, descloizite, aegirine, hemimorphite, microcline, muscovite, arthurite, tetranatrolite and natrolite.
Notable Occurrences include Tsumeb, Namibia; Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; several mines in Arizona, USA; laurion, Greece and Australia.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, color, streak, luster and hardness.

Colors: green, dark green, yellow-green, orange-brown, brown or black
Hardness: 4


Benitoite

Light to dark blue.
Is associated with emotional sensitivity, empathy and understanding.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is hexagonal; bar 6 m 2
Crystal Habits include the flattened six faced dipyramid that has a distinct triangle shape often modified by minor faces. Also found as small grains.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is irregular.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.6 (above average) v Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Nearly all specimens fluoresce blue under UV light.
Associated Minerals include serpentine, neptunite, natrolite, joaquinite, sanbornite, taramellite, albite and fresnoite.
Notable Occurrences include only the mines of San Benito County, California, USA for good excellent crystals. SW Texas produces tiny grains in eocene sands as well as some other California localities.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, fluorescence, color, associations and locality

Colors: blue, but also colorless and yellowish
Hardness: 6 to 6.5


Beraunite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Specimens are translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic.
Crystal Habits include acicular, tabular, encrusting or radiating fibrous crystals.
Cleavage is good.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 (average).
Streak is yellow.
Associated Minerals include strengite, cacoxenite, strunzite, rockbridgeite and limonite.
Notable Occurrences include Cornwall, England; Ireland; Germany; Palermo Mine, New Hampshire and Pennington County, South Dakota, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, cleavage and streak.

Colors: yellow, brown, red, green or yellow
Hardness: 3 to 4


Berlinite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal; 3 2
Crystal Habits include granular masses and disseminated grains.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.6 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white or gray.
Notable Occurrences include the Vestana iron mine, Nastum, Sweden.
Best Field Indicators are locality, color, absence of cleavage and hardness.

Colors: colorless, gray to pink or rose
Hardness: 6.5


Berthierite

Luster is metallic.
Transparency crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include acicular, fibrous or radiating crystals.
Cleavage is perfect in the lengthwise direction.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.6+ (average for metallic minerals)
Streak is a dark brown.
Other Characteristics: Crystals are not flexible.
Associated Minerals include quartz, stibnite and other sulfides.
Notable Occurrences include France; Rumania; Colorado, USA; England and Germany.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, streak, softness and inflexibility of crystals.

Colors: brownish gray to dark brown
Hardness: 2.5 to 3


Bertrandite

Luster is vitreous to pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; m m 2.
Crystal Habits include tabular to platy crystals and some prismatic forms.
Often aggregates formed over crystals of beryl. Twinning is common. Pseudomorphs of bertrandite after beryl are also common.
Cleavage good in one direction lengthwise.
Fracture is uneven to conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 3.3-3.5
Streak is white to gray.
Other Characteristics: Some specimens have fluoresced green under UV light.
Associated Minerals are numerous and include of course beryl as well as quartz, albite, orthoclase, fluorapatite, micas, anatase, brookite, pyrite, fresnoite, analcime, calcite and cheralite.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Petit-Port and Barbin, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, France as well as Akca Tau and Kara-Oba, Kazakhstan; Zabytoe, Primorie, Russia; Spor Mountain and the Brush Beryllium Mine, Juab County, Utah; Harding Mine, New Mexico; Texas and Pala District, San Diego County, California, USA; China; Cornwall, England; Mongolia; Norway and Mexico.
Best Field Indicators include only one direction of cleavage, crystal habit, color, association with beryl and hardness.

Colors: colorless, white and pale yellow
Hardness: 6 to 7


Beryl

Beryl is used in healing and to promote energy.
Beryl has been used to bring on rain.
Beryl is great for energy work.
This stone can increase retention of information and is a very good study aid.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is hexagonal; 6/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits typically include the hexagonal prism with pincoid terminations.
The terminations are often modified by many different pyramidal faces which can sometimes produce a rounded termination in the rough shape of a used pencil eraser.
Cleavage is imperfect in one direction (basal).
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.6 - 2.9 (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Faces on large crystals are often pitted, striated lengthwise and rough.
Associated Minerals include micas, quartz, euclase, calcite, tourmalines and some feldspars.
Notable Occurrences include Colombia and some African localities for emerald; Brazil, Russia and Pakistan for aquamarine; California, Brazil, Africa, and many other localities for other beryls.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, lack of good cleavage, hardness and color.

Colors: colorless, golden yellow, yellow-green, white
Hardness: 7.5 to 8


Beryllium

Is associated with altered states, meditation and cosmic consciousness.

Beryllonite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Specimens are transparent to translucent (especially when frosted).
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include tabular to equant crystals as well as rosettes and masses.
Cleavage is good in one direction (basal), fair in several other directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.8 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include quartz especially rose quartz, feldspars especially a variety of albite called cleavelandite, elbaite, beryl and columbite.
Notable Occurrences are limited to McKean Mt., Stoneham and Newry, Maine, USA; the Sapucaia pegmatite, Minas Gerais, Brazil and Paprok, Nuristan, Afghanistan.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, hardness and locality

Colors: colorless, white to pale yellow
Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Betafite

Luster is earthy to metallic and sometimes vitreous when translucent.
Transparency: Crystals are generally opaque but some translucent specimens are known.
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits typically include octahedral and dodecahedral crystals that are often modified by other isometric forms and/or flattened when two opposing faces dominate the crystal; also found as granular and massive.
Some crystals can be quite large and can weigh up to and slightly over 100 kg.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.7 - 5.0 (heavy for non-metallic, average for metallic minerals).
Extreme variation caused by variable composition of component metals.
Streak is yellow to brown.
Other Characteristics: Slightly radioactive and crystals/specimens are often coated with a yellow or green earthy coating.
Associated Minerals include quartz, feldspars, columbite, tantalite, zircon, biotite, thorite, allanite, fergusonite and other rare earth minerals.
Notable Occurrences include Betafo (hence the name), Malagasy Republic, Madagascar; Silver Crater Mine, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada and less noteworthy sites in Russia; Spain; Peru; Pakistan; India; China; Norway and Brazil as well as California, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, luster, fracture, color, radioactivity, associations, environment and specific gravity.

Colors: black with a tint of yellow, brown or green
Hardness: 4 to 5.5


Bideauxite

Luster is adamantine.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m.
Crystal Habits include cubic crystals that envelope boleite crystals and often completely replace them.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 6.3 (very heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Index of refraction equals 2.192 (very high).
Associated Minerals include boleite, matlockite, cerussite, anglesite, leadhillite and galena.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Mammoth-St Anthony Mine, Tiger, Pinal County, Arizona, USA and Chile.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, density, luster, lack of cleavage and locality.

Colors: colorless, white, pale violet to lavender
Hardness: 3


Biotite

Biotite encourages detoxification of the body. Applied on the body is used to ease the pain caused by problems such as sciatica, rheumatism and gout.
it is particularly popular as a protective and energizing stone during childbirth.
Biotite reduces tension, stimulates the metabolism, and promotes the purification of the body.
It also encourages intuition and creativity.
It is helpful in the treatment of stress related disorders such as insomnia, depression, and melancholy.
Biotite disks and up all chakras.
They are particularly relaxing when placed on the navel chakra and the third eye.

Luster is vitreous to pearly.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include tabular to prismatic crystals with a prominant pinacoid termination.
Biotite's four prism faces and two pinacoid faces form pseudo-hexagonal crystal "books".
The sides of the crystal often tend to tapper and can have a "hard candy that has been sucked on, look".
Also as lamellar or granular rock forming masses providing the luster for most schists and gneiss.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction producing thin sheets or flakes.
Fracture is not readily observed due to cleavage but is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 - 3.4+ (slightly above average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, feldspars, apatite, calcite, hornblende, garnets and schorl.
Other Characteristics: cleavage sheets are flexible and elastic, meaning they can be bent and will flex back to original shape.
Notable Occurrences include Bancroft and sudbury, Ontario; Sicily; Russia and many other localities around the world.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, cleavage, elastic sheets and associations.

Colors: black with silver-gray mica
Hardness: 2 to 2.5


Bismuth

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include mostly massive foliated forms in natural specimens, although there do exist some well formed natural crystals they are rather scarce.
Laboratory grown crystals display trigonal hopper crystals that appear pseudocubic.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal)
Fracture is uneven or jagged.
Specific Gravity is 9.7 - 9.8 (unusually heavy even for metallic minerals)
Streak is silver to white.
Other Characteristics: striations on cleavage surfaces.
Associated Minerals include bismuthinite and ores of cobalt and silver found in hydrothermal veins such as cobaltite and acanthite.
Notable Natural Occurrences include Australia; San Baldomero and La Paz, Bolivia; Devon, England; Germany and South Dakota, Colorado and California, USA.
Best Field Indicators are tarnish, density and cleavage. Hopper crystals in laboratory specimens are unmistakable.

Colors: silver white often with a multi-colored iridescent tarnish
Hardness: 2 to 2.5


Bismuthinite

Luster is metallic.
Transparency crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include radiating acicular to prismatic columnar crystals.
Sometimes in wonderful sprays that are similar to stibnite's crystal habits.
Also granular and massive.
Cleavage is perfect in one lengthwise direction.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 6.8 - 7.2 (well above average for metallic minerals)
Streak is gray.
Other Characteristics: Thin crystals are slightly flexible, but inelastic.
There maybe a slight yellow or iridescent tarnish present.
Crystals are usually striated and have some sectility.
Associated Minerals are numerous and include gold, bismuth, bismutite, quartz, andradite, chrysoberyl, almandine, barite, scheelite, pyrophyllite, kettnerite, wulfenite, gadolinite, wolframite, beryl, epidote, microcline, pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, covellite and several other sulfides.
Notable Occurrences are many and include Cornwall, England; Bolivia; Australia; Temiscaming County, Quebec, Canada; Guanajuato, Mexico; Brazil; Kingsgate, New South Wales, Australia and some excellent locations in Vogtland and Siegerland, Germany. From the United States there are several localities in Haddam, Connecticut; Beaver County, Utah; Kern County, California; several counties in Arizona and in Boulder County, Colorado.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, tarnish, softness and flexibility.

Colors: steel gray to off-white
Hardness: 2


Bixbyite (Red Beryl)

Bixbite is known metaphysically as a stone of soothing and healing.
It is used by intuitives and mystics to bring harmony to relationships and enhance compatibility.
It is also said to be helpful to heal griefs and depressions.
Bixbite is also used to strengthen creativity energy.
Physically, intuitive sources say that bixbite is good for healing problems with the physical heart, liver, lungs, mouth, throat, stomach, physical energy level, and digestive system.
Bixbite is related to the heart and sacral chakras.

Luster is metallic to submetallic.
Transparency crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is isometric; 2/m bar 3
Crystal Habits include cubes often with octahedral and dodecahedral faces modifying the corners.
Also as massive and granular.
Cleavage is octahedral.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 4.9 - 5.0 (slightly above average for metallic minerals)
Streak is black.
Associated Minerals include beryl, quartz, spessartine, hematite, pseudobrookite, hausmannite, braunite and topaz.
Notable Occurrences are limited to the Thomas Range, Utah; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; northern Patagonia, Argentina; Gerona, Spain; India; Sweden and South Africa.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, hardness, associations and locality.

Colors: dark black
Hardness: 6.5


Blizzard Stone

This stone helps protect the body's magnetic fields.

Blodite


Bloodstone

Bloodstone is a green chalcedony jasper flecked with red spots of iron oxide.
This is a stone of protection. It can open doors and break the bonds.
Bloodstone is the "hero's stone."
It instillS courage.
Bloodstone is a healing stone, balancing the root, sacral, navel, and heart chakras and is used to purify the blood and increase life force energies.
This stone used to be called hematite a very long time ago.
Hematite can revitalize love, relationships, and friendships.

Boji Stones (Kansas Pop Rocks)

Boji Stones are an Iron-magnetite concretion.
They round grey/brown round disks that are high in iron.
These stones are used in grounding and have electromagnetic properties.
Boji Stones balance the body's energy field and sometimes they can reduce pain by holding one stone in each hand.
These stones recharge electrically in the sun..
Store Boji Stones apart from one another as their magnetism can neutralize them.
Rough "male" and smooth "female" stones both have positive and negative charges.

Boleite

Luster is vitreous to pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are usually translucent but some exceptional specimens are transparent.
Crystal System is tetragonal; 4 2 2
Crystal Habits include a pseudocubic habit due to penetration twinning of three individual "twins" oriented perdendicular to each other.
Often the crystal will appear to be modified by octahedron faces (actually pseudo-octahedral tetragonal dipyramids).
The cubes are rarely over half an inch on each side. Individual twinned crystals are common and are often found loose without any host matrix.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction. v Fracture is uneven and brittle.
Specific Gravity is 5+ (rather heavy for translucent minerals).
Streak is light greenish-blue.
Other Characteristics: Notches or interpenetrant angles can be seen in some specimens revealing their true twinned nature.
Associated Minerals include other rare copper and lead chlorides such as pseudoboleite, cumengite, chloroxiphite, paralaurionite, matlockite, chlorargyrite, bideauxite, atacamite, mendipite and diaboleite.
Also found with cerussite, smithsonite, leadhillite, linarite, phosgenite and chrysocolla.
Boleite crystals are often loose, but some are found in a clay matrix.
Notable Occurrences include Boleo, Santa Rosalia, Baja California, Mexico; Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia; Mammoth District, Arizona, USA and Mendip Hills, Somerset, England.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, density, streak and locality

Colors: deep blue almost black to a lighter indigo blue
Hardness: 3 to 3.5


Boltwoodite

Luster is vitreous to silky or pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: Monoclinic.
Crystal Habits are limited to crusts and tufts of fine acicular crystals often found on uranium bearing sandstones.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.6 - 4.3 depending on the amount of water (above average for translucent minerals)
Streak is pale yellow.
Associated Minerals are uraninite and other primary uranium minerals.
Other Characteristics: Strongly radioactive.
Notable Occurrences are limited to Pick's Delta mine, San Rafael Swell, Emory Co., Utah and Coconino County, Arizona, USA.
Best Field Indicators are environment of formation, luster, color, locality and of course radioactivity.

Colors: yellow to pale yellow
Hardness: 3.5 to 4


Boracite

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m , isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m at high temperatures.
Crystal Habits include highly modified cubes and octahedrons which are actually pseudomorphs of the high temperature isometric phase.
Also massive, fibrous, nodular and as embedded grains.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is uneven or conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 - 3.0 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Slightly soluble in water.
Associated Minerals are anhydrite, gypsum, halite and other evaporite minerals.
Notable Occurrences include Yorkshire, England; Strassfurt, Germany; Bolivia; Chactaw Salt Dome, Louisiana and Otis, California, USA and France.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, locality, lack of cleavage and the high hardness.

Colors: to colorless and with pale tints of yellow, green and blue
Hardness: 7 to 7.5


Borax

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include the blocky to prismatic crystals with a nearly square cross section. Also massive and as crusts.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 1.7 (very light)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are calcite, halite, hanksite, colemanite, ulexite and other borates.
Other Characteristics: a sweet alkaline taste, alters to chalky white tincalconite with dehydration.
Notable Occurrences include Trona, Boron, Death Valley and other California localities; Andes Mountains; Turkey and Tibet.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, locality, density and hardness

Colors: white to clear
Hardness: 2 to 2.5


Bornite

A metallic mineral with a purple tarnish.
Is associated with peace, social justice, goodness, fairness, truth and equality.
It fosters caring on a worldwide scale, teaching us to be concerned with the welfare of all beings on earth.

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m above 228 degrees celsius but below this temperature its structure becomes less symmetrical possibly tetragonal; bar 4 2/m.
Crystal Habits include rare distorted cubes and even more rarely dodecahedrons and octahedrons.
Most common habit is massive or disseminated grains.
Cleavage is very poor, octahedral.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.9 - 5.3 (average for metallic minerals)
Streak is a gray black.
Other Characteristics: The tarnish that occurs on fresh surfaces can form in only hours and will become black over time.
Associated Minerals are magnetite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, covellite, pyrrhotite, pyrite and other sulfides.
Notable Occurences include Bristol, Connecticut, Butte, Montana, Plumas Co., Colorado and Superior, Arizona, USA; Cornwall, England; Rhineland, Germany; Tsumeb, Namibia; South Africa; Morocco; Bolivia; Chile; Peru and Mexico.
Best Field Indicators are lack of good crystals, tarnish, streak, color of fresh surfaces and associations.

Colors: brown to black with a typical purplish-bluish tarnish, a reddish bronze color on freshly broken surfaces
Hardness: 3


Botswana Agate

This agate is used in oxygen therapy and smoke inhalation.
It is also used for protection, it increases physical strength, and enhances stamina and endurance.

Boulangerite

Luster is either metallic or silky.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System: Monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include dense or sparse felted masses of acicular crystals.
Also in fibrous and compact plumose (feathery) masses.
Cleavage is good in one direction parallel to the length.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 5.8 - 6.2 (heavier than average for metallic minerals)
Streak is gray to brown. v Associated Minerals include pyrite, sphalerite, galena, siderite, quartz and arsenopyrite.
Other Characteristics: Crystals are flexible.
Notable Occurrences include Trepca, in the former Yugoslavia; Pribram, in the former Czechoslovakia; Sala, Sweden; Hunan, China; Harz, Germany; Baja California, Mexico and at several locations in Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Washington and Nevada, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, flexibility, associations, color and luster

Colors: blue lead gray to gray
Hardness: 2.5


Bournonite

Luster is metallic.
Transparency crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m2/m2/m
Crystal Habits include tabular to prismatic crystals.
Twinning is common and if repeated forms flat wheel shaped crystals called cog wheels. Also massive and granular.
Cleavage is poor in one direction.
Fracture is subconchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 5.8 (above average for metallic minerals)
Streak is black.
Associated Minerals are siderite, fluorite, galena, sphalerite, calcite and pyrite.
Other Characteristics: although the luster can be bright, bournonite develops a dull tarnish.
Crystals are usually striated on their sides which produces the "teeth" of the cog wheel.
Notable Occurrences include England; California, USA; Mexico; Peru and Australia.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit (especially twinning), color and density.

Colors: silver gray or black
Hardness: 2.5 to 3


Brass

Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Specimens are opaque.
Crystal System is isometric.
Crystal Habits are limited to tiny grains.
Cleavage is absent.
Specific Gravity is 8.4 - 8.7 (man-made brass)
Streak is brassy brown.
Notable Occurrences are limited to two localities in Siberia, Russia; Tolbachik Volcano, Kamchatka and Vol'sk-Vym Ridge, Middle Timan.
Best Field Indicator is color, locality, density and rarity.

Colors: yellow to brassy yellow


Brazilianite

Brazilianite is a very rare healing stone from Brazil.
It is used in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system, brain, and spinal cord.
This stone is also used to treat nerve tissue damage caused by pollution.
Brazilianite also helps solve psychological problems by giving the wearer positive energy.

Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: Monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include complex short prismatic and wedge shaped crystals that seem to lack any symmetry.
Crystals are very common, and massive examples are almost unknown.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Crystals are striated and the index of refraction is 1.60 - 1.62
Associated Minerals are quartz, feldspars, muscovite and primary and secondary phosphates associated with phosphate rich pegmatites.
Notable Occurrences include Conselheiro Pena and other mines in Minas Gerias, Brazil and Smith Mine, Newport, New Hampshire.
Best Field Indicators are color, crystal habits, low density and cleavage.

Colors: yellowish to light green Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Brecciated Jasper

Brecciated Jasper (sometimes spelled brecceated jasper or bracciated jasper) enhances organization and helps to create relaxation.
It is used in dowsing activities.
This stone helps align the chakras and balances yin and yang, as well as the physical and the emotional components of the self.
It is also a stone of protection, and is used in astral travel.
Brecciated jasper encourages attunement and communication with animals.
It brings happiness and a healthy outlook on life while it also eases stress.
Brecciated jasper can help increase physical endurance and ward off dehydration.
It is also a good stone for grounding and is associated with the root chakra.
Brecciated Jasper is sometimes referred to as Poppy Jasper
Poppy Jasper is the reddish variation of brecciated jasper.
It enhances organizational skills, increases relaxation, and gives a sense of wholeness.
This stone is also occasionally used to assist in dowsing activities.

Brochanite

Luster is vitreous to pearly on cleavage surfaces.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habits include acicular or fibrous crystals aggregated into coatings and tufts as well as small tabular crystals and reniform, massive or granular specimens.
Terminations tend to be rounded or dome-like.
Twinning is common and gives an orthorhombic look to larger crystals.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction nearly perpendicular to length.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.9+ (above average for translucent minerals)
Streak is green.
Other Characteristics: Does not effervesce in hydrochloric acid.
Associated Minerals are limonite, cuprite, chrysocolla, cyanotrichite, malachite, langite, posnjakite and azurite.
Notable Occurrences include numerous locations in Chile; Ural Mountains, Russia; England; Italy; Romania; Zaire and several locations in Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Utah, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, associations, hardness, cleavage, non-reaction to hydrochloric acid and color.

Colors: bright emerald green or dark green to almost black
Hardness: 3.5 to 4


Bronze

Is associated with relaxation, serenity, calmness.
Helps promote a laid-back attitude.

Bronzite

Bronzite is called a "Stone of Focused Action" and a "Stone of Courtesy".
It is used to ascertain certainty and with taking control of situations.
Bronzite helps dispel uncertainty.
It is a good grounding stone.
Physically, Bronzite is used in the assimilation of iron, in lessening muscular tension, and in dispelling restlessness caused by emotional and psycho-physical ailments.
Also, Bronzite brings inner peace, removes stress, protects against depressive moods and works favorably on the psyche.

Colors: Bronze colors with silvery traces
Hardness: 5 to 6


Brookite

Luster is adamantine to submetallic.
Transparency crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include the typical tabular to platy crystals with a pseudohexagonal outline.
Magnet Cove specimens tend to be more equant with complex facets.
Cleavage is poor prismatically and in the basal direction.
Fracture is subconchoidal and uneven.
Specific Gravity is 3.9 - 4.1 (average for metallic minerals)
Streak is light brown to white.
Associated Minerals include anatase, rutile, quartz, feldspars, chalcopyrite, hematite and sphene.
Notable Occurrences include Magnet Cove, Arkansas, Butte, Montana, Somerville, Massachusetts and Ellenville, New York, USA; Eicham, Austria; Tremadoc, Wales, England; Ural Mountains, Russia and at St. Gotthard, Switzerland.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, luster, density, streak, associations and locality.

Colors: dark brown to greenish black
Hardness: 5.5 to 6


Brucite

Luster is vitreous or waxy; cleavage surfaces have a pearly luster.
Transparency Crystals are translucent and rarely transparent.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habit is typically in flattened tabular crystals with rare rhombohedral terminations.
Also found in lamellar and fibrous aggregates and as foliated masses.
Brucite has been known to pseudomorph crystals of periclase. Cleavage is perfect in one direction, basal.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 2.4 (slightly below avera