Shomiokite
Shomiokite is an extremely rare mineral and a gem that was only discovered in 1990 and approved by the IMA in 1992. Its chemistry is a Hydrated Sodium Yttrium Carbonate which is colorless to pink or pale yellow. Shomiokite crystals are rare and minute (short prismatic pseudohexagonal crystals to 2 mm) and more commonly found as rosettelike aggregates or massive granular forms of 30cm.
There are only two locations for finding Shomiokite: Mt. Alluaiv, Lovozero massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia; and Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada.
| Crystallography: | Orthorhombic – Pyramidal |
| Crystal Habit: | Short prismatic pseudohexagonal crystals, to 2 mm, in rosettelike aggregates; massive granular, to 30 cm. |
| Twinning: | None |
| Cleavage: | [110] Perfect; Parting on [001] |
| Fracture: | Irregular/Uneven |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Hardness (Mohs): | 2.0 – 3.0 |
| Density: | 2.52 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | None |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
| Other: | S |
| Color: | Colorless, Pink, pale Yellow |
| Transparency: | Translucent, Transparent in small pieces |
| Luster: | Earthy (Dull), Waxy to Silky |
| Refractive Index: | 1.528 – 1.531 Biaxial ( + ) |
| Birefringence: | 0.0030 |
| Dispersion: | None to Weak; r > v |
| Pleochroism: | None |
