Tectosilicate Collection

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

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

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

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

Plate 51 from Mineralogie
Or natif en dendriet sur du quartz de Mr. Forster. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.6 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz (silicon dioxide) and is a popular gemstone

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cursed amethyst
When the Mineralogy Department received this amethyst in 1943 they found a note inside the box: this stone is trebly accursed and is stained with the blood

Plate 3, fig 4 from Mineralienbuch
A illustration of a slice of polished brown jasper. Jasper is a variety of cryptocrystalline quartz (silicon dioxide). Plate 3, fig 4 from Mineralienbuch by F. A. Schmidt, Stuttgart 1855

Agate
This polished agate specimen from Saxony is called Breccia Sanguigna. This brecciated agate comprises mainly of irregular sized fragments of cryptocrystalline quartz, set in a finer matrix

Agate
A polished slice of agate from Uraguay. Agate (silicon dioxide) is a cryptocrystalline quartz

Plate 53 from Mineralogie
Mine de Plomb blanc en rayon et Colore du Hars tire du Cabinet de Mr. Aubert. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.6 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Agate
A polished slice of agate or chalcedony from Uraguay. Agate (silicon dioxide) is a cryptocrystalline quartz

Birthstone Series: Citrine
Citrine is a form of quartz that appears in different a variety of yellows and oranges, it is the birthstone for the month of November along with Topaz. Specimen number 21470

Sapphire turban button
A rose-cut facetted deep-blue sapphire mounted in a button of quartz, inlaid with gold, rubies & emeralds. No 198 in the collection of Sir Hans Sloane

Gobbinsite comprises of (hydrated sodium potassium calcium aluminum silicate) and derives from the zeolite group. Specimen found nr. Black Cave, Island Magee, Co. Antrim

Orthoclase (potassium aluminum silicate) is a major granite forming mineral. Specimen from Brevik, Norway

Amethyst crystals

Lazurite comprises of (sodium calcium aluminum silicate sulphur sulphate). Due to its unique rich colour, it is a semi-precious stone and is often used in jewellery making

Cassiterite pseudomorphous after orthoclase
Brown granular cassiterite (tin oxide) have replaced twinned orthoclase crystals. Wheal Coates, St. Agnes, Cornwall

Carved carnelian bowl
Carnelian is a transluscent yellow to orange variety of chalcedony (micro-crystalline quartz). This bowl was once the property of Sir Hans Sloane

Mocha stone, sardonyx and agate
Mocha stone and sardonyx cameos resting on artificially dyed slabs of agate. All these varieties of chalcedony derive from the cryptocrystalline quartz group

Heulandite crystal group on matrix, from Kilpatrick, Dumbartonshire. One of the group of Zeolites. Zeolites are microporous crystalline solids containing silicon, aluminium and oxygen

Chalcedony
Polished slab of chalcedony with radiating structure. Chalcedony or agate is a variety of cryptocrystalline quartz (silicon dioxide)

Birthstone Series: Rose Quartz
A specimen of Rose Quartz from the Natural History Museum, London. Rose Quartz is the birthstone for the month of January (along with Garnet). Photographed by Harry Taylor

Aventurine
A rough piece of green aventurine quartz from India

Amethyst, baryte dioptase, rhodochrosite
Amethyst, purple crystals from India. Baryte, long yellow prisms from Cumbria. Dioptase, green lustrous crusts from Namibia. Rhodochrosite, pink crystals on quartz

Cancrinite comprises of (sodium calcium aluminum silicate carbonate) and is one of the rarer members of the feldspathoid group. Specimen from the Natural History Museum, London

Birthstone Series: Bloodstone
A specimen of the mineral bloodstone, a variety of quartz. (33974), from the Natural History Museum, London. Bloodstone is the birthstone for the month of March (along with Aquamarine)

Stilbite comprises of (hydrated sodium calcium aluminum silicate) and derives from the Zeolite group. Specimen from the collections of The Natural History Museum, London

Thomsonite

Quartz variety amethyst

Chalcedony variety of quartz
A specimen of the mineral chalcedony, a variety of quarz, from the Haytor mine, Ilsington, Devon

Natrolite
A specimen of the mineral natrolite (Hydrated sodium aluminum silicate), of the group zeolite, from Neubauerberg, Bohemia

Unakite

Zeolite
A zeloite specimen (apophyllite)

Sodalite specimen

Slice of the lunar meteorite Northwest Africa 482
A slice of lunar meteorite Northwest Africa 482. This meteorite is very rich in the feldspar mineral anorthite, which give it its pale colour

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