It was first described in 1839 by Bottger who named the mineral for its zinc and copper content after the Greek όρειχαλκος, for "mountain brass" or "mountain copper", the name of orichalcum, a fabulous metal, mentioned in the legend of the mythic lost continent Atlantis.

What does aurichalcite look like?

A secondary mineral in copper and zinc deposits, aurichalcite is typically found as blue or green crusts or mats of tiny acicular crystals, often as feathery, tufted, druzes; more rarely it is found as columnar crystal aggregates or crusts of either lamellar aggregates or as granular aggregates.

What is aurichalcite made up of?

A pale green to blue mineral that is sometimes found as a encrustations on bronzes. Aurichalcite is composed of copper zinc carbonate hydroxide. As a mineral, it forms in the oxidation zones of zinc-copper deposits.

What is the aurichalcite mineral?

Aurichalcite is soft, monoclinic, copper and zinc bearing mineral. It forms a soft, scaly, greenish-blue crust in oxidized zones of copper-zinc ore deposits. It is considered to be a guide or indicator of zinc ore.

What is aurichalcite used for?

Aurichalcite clears the believer's aura and smoothes their energy field. Due to the rarity of aurichalcite, it is mainly used as a collector's mineral. Aurichalcite typically occurs in the oxidized zone of copper and zinc deposits.

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Why is fluorite a mineral?

Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF₂. It belongs to the halide minerals. ... Pure fluorite is transparent, both in visible and ultraviolet light, but impurities usually make it a colorful mineral and the stone has ornamental and lapidary uses.

What does malachite look like?

Malachite is rarely found as a crystal, but when found, the crystals are usually acicular to tabular in shape. The crystals are bright green in color, translucent, with a vitreous to adamantine luster. Non-crystalline specimens are opaque, usually with a dull to earthy luster.

What is a chrysocolla stone?

Chrysocolla is a blue green crystal with a high copper content. ... Chrysocolla is a Phyllosilicate mineral often found in rounded masses, vein fillings or crusts. It is also made up of Malachite, Cuprite, Quartz, Azurite, and Limonite. The meaning of Chrysocolla is communication, teaching, and transformation.

What does wulfenite look like?

Wulfenite is a lead molybdate mineral with the formula PbMoO₄. It can be most often found as thin tabular crystals with a bright orange-red to yellow-orange color, sometimes brown, although the color can be highly variable. In its yellow form it is sometimes called "yellow lead ore".

Where is Aurichalcite mineral found?

It is commonly found with malachite in the oxidized zone of zinc and copper deposits as at Tomsk, Siberia; Santander, Spain; and Bisbee, Ariz., U.S. Its pale blue-green featherlike form distinguishes it from malachite; and, because it is a weathered product of zinc-rich ores, it can serve as a guide to zinc deposits.

What is aragonite made of?

Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃ (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including precipitation from marine and freshwater environments.

What is Dioptase Crystal?

Dioptase is an extremely rare Copper cyclosilicate mineral that crystallizes in small prismatic shards, as well as inclusions within Quartz. This mineral occurs around other copper bearing minerals such as Chrysocolla, Malachite and Shattuckite. It forms on copper veins that have been exposed to extensive oxidation.

Where do you find Smithsonite?

Smithsonite rarely occurs in visible crystals. The only two locations to produce large crystals of significance are Tsumeb, Namibia; and the Kabwe Mine (Broken Hill), Zambia. Virtually all other findings of this mineral are in globular or botryoidal-like forms.

Where is siderite found?

Siderite is commonly found in hydrothermal veins, and is associated with barite, fluorite, galena, and others. It is also a common diagenetic mineral in shales and sandstones, where it sometimes forms concretions, which can encase three-dimensionally preserved fossils.

What healing powers does chrysocolla have?

Chrysocolla calms, cleanses and re-energises all the chakras. It draws out guilt, heals heartache and increases the capacity to love. Improves communication and opens psychic vision. Encourages self-awareness and inner balance.

Why is chrysocolla so expensive?

Due to its fragility, chrysocolla is often bound with harder crystals in some designs to strengthen it. It is often combined with opal and quartz (but not always, it depends on the manufacturer or jewelry designer). Despite not being the most popular of gems, this gem silica still fetches a good value when available.

Where should chrysocolla be placed in the home?

If you want to strengthen the loving communication between you and the people you love, place a piece of Chrysocolla on your throat or breastbone. This will help detoxify your chakras and rebuild your strength during physically and emotionally exhausting or stressful periods.

Why is malachite so expensive?

Malachite can be expensive for many reasons. The fact that it doesn't come from all over the world but from specific regions of the world makes the supply rather limited, increasing the value. The purity of most Malachite clusters that don't feature any type of azurite adds significantly to the expense.

How did malachite get its name?

The name malachite is believed to come from the Greek word “molochitus”, referring to the mallow leaf which is similar in color. Malachite has been used by humans since antiquity, and was believed to protect one from evil. In Ancient Egypt, the color green was highly symbolic, representing new life and fertility.

Does real malachite have black?

The colours in real Malachite are all shades of green, from soft, light and pale greens to very dark greens. Synthetic Malachite will often be medium green and black, with harsh contrast between the lines.

Who discovered fluorite?

In the 1500s, Georgius Agricola, a German mineralogist, described a crystalline material that helped some ores melt at lower temperatures. He called it fluores, from the Latin fleure, meaning 'to flow'. Today we know it as fluorspar, fluorite, calcium fluoride or CaF₂. It was found to have a remarkable property.

What is the rarest color of fluorite?

Blue fluorite is quite rare and collectors are looking for it. The brilliant yellow is very rare as well. Pink, black and colorless are the rarest fluorite colors.

How does fluorite get its color?

The color of the fluorite is determined by factors including impurities, exposure to radiation, and the absence or voids of the color centers. Fluorite's hallmark deep purple hue is the result of a small number of fluoride ions being permanently forced out of their lattice positions by irradiation or heating.