Variscite

Variscite

Color contrast was the first aspect I noticed on the this sample.  I then noticed that it was pricey and the question, "Why?", came to mind.  Thankfully, it was identified for me.

Variscite

It was a tiny sample.  I looked it up and discovered that it was RARE for three reasons.

One, it is a rare mineral: aluminium phosphate mineral (AlPO₄·2H₂O) 

Two, it is seldom found in crystals like this one.  It usually occurs as a fine grained mineral.

Three, it is almost always green.  I found a few rare green crystals in this sample.

Variscite, Green Crystals

I found a few rare green crystals in this sample.

Variscite, Clear Crystals

Variscite can be clear to translucent but I don't know how to identify these clear crystals.

Variscite is popular as a gem.

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Black Friday

Baccarat Crystal Tree

The day has finally arrived!  Some could not wait and initiated holiday shopping a week or two early.  Not so with us all, though.  This is the day we begin.  Happy shopping!

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Turquoise

Turquoise

I did not make a connection between the mineral pictured above and the gem.  The connection was bridged by sample I purchased at a show.

Sample of Turquoise

I had a large piece of it that someone gave me, not this.  I had tried to identify it without success.  The person who gave it to me thought it came from Australia.  I have since given the large sample to one or two of my grandchildren and don't remember whom.

Turquoise

The gem can be polished to a bright luster.  It has a rich history of use as a gem. 


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Silver

Silver

I promised to come back to this one.  It is silver.  It looks to me like the melted silver flowed into the ground or sand filling the spaces, cooled and hardened.  When the mold is washed away we see this irregular object.

Silver

Silver was a profound part of photography in the early days.  Its use has reduced since the advent of digital.

It has electrical conductance properties.  To my understanding, this sample is pure silver, native silver.

We are aware of its jewelry, silverware and decorative uses.  It is valuable and some invest money in it by buying coins.  The bulk of the worlds silver comes from copper, gold, lead and zinc refining.

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