Scapolite Cat’s Eye Gemstone
Posted by slang on September 7, 2009
Scapolite, which is Greek for “rod” or “shaft,” is commonly found in stubby to long prismatic crystals, hence the name. Its crystals are tetragonal so that it will commonly have a square or octahedral cross-section. It was was first discovered in 1913 in the Mogok Stone Tract in upper Burma. {See its gemological properties below.}
Scapolite usually exhibits excellent transparency and been known for its gemstone quality. Some of the less transparent material exhibit chatoyancy or the cat’s eye effect when cut as cabochons. Cat’s eye stones are rather rare and desirable as they tend to have exceptionally sharp eyes.
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Scapolite’s Gemological Properties |
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| Other names | Mizzonite, Dipyre, Marialite and Meionite.
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| Chemical composition | sodium calcium aluminum silicate |
| Color | White, colorless, greenish, gray, yellow, brown, reddish and pink, lavender scapolite (produced by heat treatment.) Most common color for gemstones is a bright honey-yellow |
| Moh Hardness | 5.5 to 6 |
| Density | 2.57-2.74 |
| Refractive Index | 1.540-1.579.
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| Location | Canada, the USA, Norway, Italy and Mexico. Gemstone sources are found in Brazil, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Canada and Burma. |
| Uses | Pendants, earrings and brooches. |
Related posts:
- Cat’s Eye Apatite
- Dreaming Of Cat’s eye Gemstone
- Quartz Cat’s eye
- Cats’eye Gemological/Scientific Properties
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