benitoite
crystals of benitoite and neptunite from San Benito County in the U.S.
oval cut benitoite from United States
Detailed sheet
benitoite
It was discovered in the early twentieth century by the San Benito river in San Benito County, California.
Its color is very close to that of sapphire but its strong dichroism can easily distinguish it from sapphire, and even other blue stones.
CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
BaTi[Si3O9]
barium titanium cyclosilicate mineral
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Main color
blue
Other colors
colourless, pink, purple
Color of streak
white
Luster
vitreous
Hardness
6.0 to 6.5
Density
3.62 to 3.68
Cleavage
indistinct
Fracture
conchoidal, uneven
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
Transparency
translucent, transparent
only the very small crystals are transparent
Refractive index
1.755 - 1.805
Double refraction
0.047
strong, positive uniaxial
visible double refraction
Yes
Dispersion
0,045(0.025)
Pleochroism
strong
Number of colors
2
colorless to blue
Fluorescence
strong
blue
CRYSTALS PROPERTIES
small, flat and in double pyramid
crystals system
hexagonal
OTHER INFORMATIONS
APPROACHING GEMS
Exploited
sites
Single deposit: San Benito County, California, USA for gemstones, but it is present in Japan.
use in jewelry
It is a stone for collectors, the crystals are small and only allow to be cut faceted some stones that rarely exceed a carat.
imitations and
treatments
no known imitations.
Other
Gems
Venez visitez
notre site web
voillot-joaillier.fr
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