Aegirine
Aegirine, also known as Acmite, is really a known member associated with the Pyroxene Group of minerals that features Aegirine, Diopside, Hedenbergite, Hypersthene, Jadeite, Petedunnite and Spodumene. Aegirine is a mineral that is fairly typical but rarely available as a treasure. Maybe not that gems would be that rare, exactly that they’re not particularily appealing and would only be faceted for the sake of collecting. Gems are extremely dark green to greenish-black, almost opaque and usually really greatly included.
Current mineral sources are Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Mt. Malosa, Zomba District, Malawi; Kongsberg, Norway; Narsarssuk, Greenland; Kola Peninsula, Russia and Magnet Cove, Arkansas, United States Of America.
| Chemical Formula: | NaFe3+(Si2O6) |
| Sodium Iron Silicate | |
| Molecular Weight: | 231.00 gm |
| Composition: | Sodium | 9.95 % | Na | 13.42 % | Na2O |
| Iron | 24.18 % | Fe | 34.56 % | Fe2O3 | |
| Silicon | 24.32 % | Si | 52.02 % | SiO2 | |
| Oxygen | 41.56 % | O | |||
| 100.00 % | 100.00 % | = TOTAL OXIDE |
| Crystallography: | Monoclinic – Prismatic |
| Crystal Habit: | Prismatic crystals, with blunt to steep terminations, to 35 cm, striated lengthwise, can be bent or twisted. In sprays of acicular crystals, fibrous, in radial concretions. |
| Twinning: | Simple and lamellar twinning common. |
| Cleavage: | Distinct; Good on {110}, Parting on {100} |
| Fracture: | Irregular/Uneven |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Moh’s Hardness: | 6.0 |
| Density: | 3.50 – 3.60 (g/cm3) |
| Color: | Greenish-black |
| Transparency: | Opaque |
| Refractive Index: | 1.760 to 1.805 |
| Luminescence: | None |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
