Posts Tagged ‘woo converted’

Prehnite Prehnite is an orthorhombic mineral which is rarely found as distinct crystals. Found in association with volcanic rocks, it usually forms in aggregates with botryoidal habit. Prehnite is typically pale green to yellowish green with a white streak. It is named after a Dutchman, Colonel H. von Prehn, who discovered the mineral at the…

Selenite variety of Gypsum Selenite…is a variety of Gypsum… and is one of the most common, rock-forming minerals, developing thick beds formed by the evaporation of extremely salt laden waters. Gypsum is associated with halite and sulfur. It is deposited from lakes, seawater, hot springs, volcanic moisture, and sulfate solutions in underground veins. Anhydrite in…

Scheelite-Powellite Group The Scheelite-Powellite Series is an uncommon secondary mineral, typically formed in the oxidation zones of molybdenum-bearing hydrothermal deposits. Scheelite is Calcium tungstate, an important ore of tungsten which is a strategically important metal. Scheelite is named for the discoverer of tungsten, Karl W. Scheele. Scheelite is a “Must Have” for serious mineral collectors.…

Paesine/ Pietra Paesina “Pietra Paesina”, its literal translation, “landscape stone”, has been collected for hundreds of years (since 1465AD) throughout Europe where it was highly regarded for its rarity as a precious ornament and was very much sought after and in demand in the Royal Courts. The name refers to its unusual colors and designs.…

Orbicular Ocean Jasper The Lapidary Journal reported this description: “This new rock has been found along the northwest coast of Madagascar after years of unsuccessful searching. The deposit formed as a rhyolite flow but has been completely silicified. The rhyolitic eyes or orbs come in an astonishing array of colors and color combinations. The background…

Rainbow Obsidian from Jalisco, Mexico Some of the pretiest Rainbow Obsidian cames from the state of Jalisco in Mexico hosts the fourth-largest obsidian deposits in the world. In pre-Hispanic times, obsidian was perhaps as valuable as oil is today because from it could be made into knives, scrapers and arrowheads, as well as jewelry and…

Obsidian Obsidian is a rock which is a type of naturally occurring glass, produced by volcanoes (igneous origin) when a felsic lava cools rapidly and freezes without sufficient time for crystal growth. It is commonly found within the margins of felsic lava flows, where cooling is more rapid. Because of the lack of crystal structure,…

Home Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic Rock Cycle NC Beryl Crystals Ray (Wray) Mica Mine, Yancey County, N.C. Ray Mica Mine, Burnsville, Yancey County, N.C. The Ray Mica Mines are located on Hurricane Mountain, 4.0 km (2.5 miles) SSE of Burnsville, in the Bolen’s Creek area, on National Forest land.The mine is actually a series of open…

Muscovite on Black Tourmaline (Schorl) from Brazil We were lucky enough to get a few specimens of this new find from Brazil. One of our import suppliers was able to provide us with a couple specimens of this heavy and fragile specimen. These are large acicular (needle like) formations of black schorl tourmaline with a…

Muscovite, Mica, Isinglass Muscovite is a silicate mineral that contains potassium and aluminum. It is also known as Mica or Isinglass. Muscovite may form in layers of sheets (called “Books”) which are clear with a pearly luster on cleavage faces or as a rock forming mineral found in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, often having…