Silicate Collection (page 7)

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

Potentilla nivea L. snow cinquefoil
Sketch 2, Newfoundland Volumes. From a collection of original drawings and sketches by Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770). Held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London

Yellow fluorite
A specimen of yellow fluorite (calcium fluoride) with white quartz (silicon dioxide) and brassy chalcopyrite, from Caradon Mines, Liskeard, Cornwall

Observing structure of rock
Looking at fresh granite under a microscope to study structure, granular composition can clearly be seen

Banded iron formation
3, 000 million year old specimen of banded iron-rich chert from the Murchison Goldfield, Western Australia. The banding derives from differing amounts and oxidation state of the iron composite

Shale
Compacted platy clay particles give shales their typical laminated structure. Shale is a sedimentry rock which is composed of many fine-grained clay particles

Sandstone is formed by loose grains of quartz compacted and cemented together

Beryl
From left to right, different varieties of berly (beryllium aluminum silicate) cut stone; emerald, aquamarine, morganite and heliodor

Mesolite is comprised of (hydrated sodium calcium aluminum silicate). Its needle-like crystals formed inside a gas bubble in cooling volcanic rock

Muscovite
A specimen of muscovite (Potassium aluminum silicate hydroxide fluoride) with hematite and limonite inclusions, from Adelaide Australia

Quartz
A quartz specimen (silicon dioxide) from San Juan del Rey, Minas Gerias, Brazil

Garnet

Charoite
Vase and rough specimen with a polished face of purple charoite, black aegerine augite, grey microcline and orange tinaksite from Yakutusk, Russia - the only location where this mineral occurs

Quartzite

Absorption spectrum of zircon
Refractometer spectrum of the mineral zircon (zirconium silicate). Ziricon can be found to have a multi faceted crystals

Cordierite variety Iolite
It is famous for its pleochroism, appearing intense blue in one direction but becoming almost colourless as the stone is turned. Cut stone, faceted girdle, 19.69 ct

Topaz crystal
An imperial topaz crystal from Brazil, length 101mm long. Topaz comprises of (aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide)

Asbestos purse
Benjamin Franklins Asbestos purse. A crudely plaited purse made from tremolite asbestos. From the Hans Sloane collection. Asbestos is formed of microscopically fibrous crystals

Hemimorphite crystals enclosed in rock crystal
Hemimorphite, formerly known as calamine is comprised of (hydrated zinc silicate hydroxide). Magnification = x1.2

Kornerupine (magnesium aluminum iron boro-silicate hydroxide) is a rare boro-silicate mineral which occurs in a range of greens and browns - this emerald colour is exceptional

A large cut citrine
Citrine is the yellow and orange variety of quartz (silicon dioxide). Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London

Citrine and sapphire
Fine and poor examples of gem cutting and polishing. A superbly cut citrine (a yellow variety of quartz) and a poorly cut sapphire (blue), a variety of the mineral Corundum (aluminium oxide)

Fibrolite is an aluminium silicate. It is a rare variety of the mineral sillimanite. This stone from Burma shows blueish-violet and pale yellow pleochroic colours

Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan
Polished slab of lapis lazuli containing some brassy-coloured pyrite. Lapis lazuli (sodium calcium aluminum silicate sulphur sulphate) is a rich blue opaque, semi-precious stone

Andalusite cut stone
Andalusite is an aluminium silicate. It shows spectacular red and green pleochroic colours

Malachite cameo and malachite-chrysocolla mass. Malachite (copper carbonate hydroxide), has a distinctive green banding and belongs to the carbonate class

Belt-hook in lapis lazuli
Carved chinese belt-hook on a piece of rough lapis lazuli from Badakhstan. Lapis lazuli (sodium calcium aluminum silicate sulphur sulphate) is a rich blue opaque, semi-precious stone

Lapis lazuli from Siberia
A polished slab of Siberian Lapis lazuli containing white calcite and some brassy pyrite. Lapis lazuli means blue rock, with the rich colour due to the sulphur in its composition

A group of feldspar specimens
Amazonstone crystals and gems, pin set with sunstone, and moonstones. The feldpars are significant rock building minerals

Polished slab of jade

Tourmaline crystal
A bi-coloured pink and green tourmaline crystal from California

Demantoid garnet cut stone
Demantoid is a variety of andradite garnet. It is green in colour, sometimes with yellow shading

Brown and blue zircons
Natural brown and heat-treated blue zircons. Zircon comprises of (zirconium silicate) and is not the same as the artificial gem cubic zircona

Zircon crystal
Zircon comprises of (zirconium silicate) and is not the same as the artificial gem cubic zircona. Specimen is from Norway

Garnet cut stones
Grossular (calcium aluminum silicate) and demantoid cut gems resting on andradite (calcium iron silicate) crystals. All of which are types of garnet

Quartz box and carved lizard
An ornamental box set with different quartz stones (silicon dioxide) including a large central citrine together with a carved lizard in cat s-eye quartz

Rocks, Zinc and Tin
Silicate of zinc, smithsonite, carbonate of zinc, sulphide of zinc and oxide of tin

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