Aschamalmite
Aschamalmite is a very rare Bismuth that is lead Sulfosalt. It is opaque with a luster that is metallic Anisotropic with a creamy white color in reflected light. It really is typically found in gneiss or Quartz and can be developed being a rare and cabochon that is attractive flashy metallic Aschamalmite contrasting against pure white Quartz.
The actual only real locations for finding Aschamalmite are near Ascham Alm, Untersulzbachtal, Salzburg, Austria (the locality that is kind; Upper Leckbachgraben, Leckbachgraben, Nasenkopf Mt., Habach valley, Hohe Tauern Mts, Salzburg, Austria; Tignai, Bussoleno, Susa Valley, Torino Province, Piedmont, Italy; Rio del Castello, Cedo Alp, Basso Valley, Vigezzo Valley, Ossola Valley, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italy; at Granite Gap, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, USA.
| Chemical Formula: | Pb6Bi2S9 |
| Lead Bismuth Sulfide | |
| Molecular Weight: | 1,949.75 gm |
| Composition: | Bismuth | 21.44 % | Bi | ||
| Lead | 63.76 % | Pb | |||
| Sulfur | 14.80 % | S | |||
| 100.00 % |
| Crystallography: | Monoclinic – Prismatic |
| Crystal Habit: | As prismatic, lathlike crystals, to 5 cm; also as thick, slightly bent plates. |
| Twinning: | None |
| Cleavage: | Perfect on {001} |
| Fracture: | Irregular/Uneven |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Moh’s Hardness: | 3.5; VHN50=150 – 181 kg/mm2 |
| Density: | 7.27 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | None |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
| Color: | Lead-Gray; creamy White in reflected light |
| Transparency: | Opaque |
| Luster: | Metallic |
| Refractive Index: | R1–R2: (470) 45.1–48.1, (546) 43.4–46.3, (589) 42.9–46.3, (650) 42.9–46.3 |
| Birefringence: | 0.000 (opaque) |
| Dispersion: | n/a |
| Pleochroism: | None |
| Anisotrophism: | Moderate; from gray to red-brown. Color in reflected light: Creamy white. |
