Silicate Mineral Collection

Crysotile asbestos
Scanning electron micrograph of 5-Fold symmetry in crysotile asbestos. Magnification on the 5 x4 transparency = X 600, 000

Birthstone Series: Amythest Quartz
An Amythest quartz specimen. Amythest is a form of quartz that is usually purple in colour, it is the birthstone for the month of March. Natural History Museum specimen number 84817

Kaolinite
Scanning electron microscope image of kaolinite (x 4.00K). Its a common phyllosilicate mineral, its structure is composed of silicate sheets bonded to aluminum oxide/hydroxide layers

Jasper
A polished slab of jasper from Campsie Fells, Stirlingshire. Jasper is cryptocrystalline agate quartz (silicon dioxide)

Tremolite asbestos from France
Tremolite (calcium magnesium silicate hydroxide) is a mineral from the Amphibole group, it is commonly used for industrial purposes

Garnet Peridotite
Garnet-peridotite, a major constituent in the make-up of the Earth. Image published in Natures Connections An Exploration of Natural History. Published in 2000

Benitoite was discovered in 1906 near the San Benito river in California which remains the only known locality for this (barium titanium silicate) mineral

Agate bowl, grey and white
Agate is a decorative variety of cryptocrystalline quartz (silicon dioxide). This bowl specimen is from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

Polished slab of labradorite
Labradorite (calcium sodium aluminum silicate) can seem dull and grey until the light hits correctly, then an array of colours can be observed glowing on the surface

Beryl
A cut heliodor beryl stone of 135.93 carats. Beryl comprises of beryllium aluminum silicate

The Nummulosphere Part I. Front Cover
An account of the organic origin of so-called igneous rocks and of abyssal red clays by Kirkpatrick, Randolph (1863-1950), London. 1913

Crucifix set with sapphires, zircon, spinel, cairngorm and amethyst. The whole cross is bordered by diamonds

Section of Chassigny meteorite
Thin section of Chassigny in cross-polarized light, showing shocked and deformed olivine grains. The field of view is 3mm

Zircon cut stones
Cut stones showing the natural colour range and lustre of zircon. Zircon is the birthstone of December. It comprises of (zirconium silicate) and is not the same as the artificial gem cubic zircona

Mica schist is a rock resulting from the metamorphism of shale. Specimen originates from Grantown-on-Spey, Murrayshire

Garnet-bearing rock, collected at Karin Hill, Neilgherries, India by Dr Benza c.1837. NHM specimen number: BM 867

Hornblende-biotite granite
Geological specimen collected by Scotts British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, also known as the Terra Nova expedition. It had a broad scientific programme and collected thousands of geological

Topaz
This 2982-carat topaz is the largest cut gem at the museum

Nephrite jade
A specimen of nephrite jade from New Zealand. Nephrite is actually not a mineral outright, but is a variety of the mineral actinolite (calcium magnesium iron silicate hydroxide)

Schist
A garnet schist from Moidart, Scotland. This specimen is a medium-grained metamorphic rock

Octahedral crystals in columns, quartz matrix
Groups of octahedral crystals forming columns in parallel position in quartz matrix. Presented by Percy Tarbutt in 1942 Date: 1942

Quartz-feldspar porphyry
Geological specimen collected by Scotts British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, also known as the Terra Nova expedition. It had a broad scientific programme and collected thousands of geological

Verdite head
African head carved in verdite by James Tandi. Verdite is also known as Africas Green Gold and is a member of the Silicates mineral group

Pyrophyllite, green radiating in quartz from Berezovsk, Russia. Close-up of specimen on display in the Mineral Gallery at the Natural History Museum, London

Jadarite
Minerals curator Mike Rumsey studying the mineral called jadarite which has the same chemical composition as kryptonite. Discovered in Serbia in 2006, jadarite is composed of sodium, lithium

Cinnabar
Twinned dark red cinnabar crystals with small quartz crystals. Cinnabar comprises of (mercury sulphide). Specimen from the Natural History Museum, London

Shale (right) and garnet-mica-schist (left)
Shale is sedimentary and garnet-mica-schist is metamorphoc in origin. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London

Bentonite
A specimen of the mineral Bentonite Reg No. 1926, 216 light grey mass, Range 19, W4, Township 28, Rosedale, Alberta, Canada. Predented by the Canadian Government Exhibition Commision, 1926

Peridot
Crystal of peridot from Zebirget (St Johns Island), Red Sea. Peridot is the gemstone variety of olivine (magnesium iron silicate)

Garnet-topped doublet
A green garnet-topped doublet. Garnets are common in metamorphosed rocks and also in some igneous formations

Fortification agate
A section of fortification agate from Scurdie Ness. Agate is cryptocrystalline quartz. This specimen is from the collections held at the Natural History Museum, London

Serpentine cup
A mottled serpentine ornamental cup or tazza on a black marble base. The mineral serpentine is composed of (magnesium iron silicate hydroxide)

Aquamarine
This Russian gem is about the size of a peach and weighs 898 carats

Agate geode

Agate Botswana

Morganite
This gemstone is 600 carats and one of the worlds largest Morganite specimens

Feldspar, collected by Dr Benza c.1837. NHM specimen number: BM 650

Tourmaline cut stones see 666
A group of tourmaline cut stones. Tourmaline is the name given to a group of eleven minerals which all have a general chemical formula

Emerald
Possibly from the collection of Rt Hon Charles Greville in 1810. Emerald is a variety of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate). The green colour attributed to small amounts of chromium

Agate
Blue lace

Turritella agate

Agate thundereggs

Agate slice

Imperial Topaz
Found in 1852 in one of the oldest mines in the southeastern Ouro Preto region of Brazil

Moss agate specimen

Agate

Bloodstone or heliotrope carvings
These frogs were carved from bloodstone by Paul Dreher. Bloodstone is green agate containing speckles of red jasper. All these derive from the cryptocrystalline quartz group

Crystal balls are produced by grinding and polishing quartz (silicon dyoxide) cystal into spheres

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