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The Rock Professor has provided you with a mineral
information card. Print on stock paper, and cut out to
enhance your rock and mineral products.
To print: with your cursor, highlight the entire card below,
right click and select print, then click on "selection"
and print.
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THE ROCK PROFESSOR
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Amazonite Crystal
(Microcline-Albite)
Image attributed to
Rob Lavinsky
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AMAZONITE
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AMAZONITE derives its name from the Amazon River, however it is doubtful that the stone occurs in that region. It is a green to blue-green variety of Microcline, a feldspar mineral. Amazonite is used in jewelry, where it is usually cut into a cabochon form. It is also quite lovely used in carved objects. Because of its color and texture it is sometimes mistaken for jade.
The color of AMAZONITE varies from green, yellow-green to blue-green, and in some gemstones demonstrates white streaks. Colorado is a well-known locality for crystals of amazonite, and it is also found in Madagascar and Brazil.
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Species: Feldspar ♦ Variety: Microcline ♦
Chemistry: potassium aluminum silicate ♦ Moh's Hardness: 6-6.5 ♦
Crystal form: Triclinic, prismatic ♦ Polish Luster : Vitreous to greasy ♦ Fracture : Uneven to splintery ♦ Color: Green, blue-green ♦
Fluorescence: Weak; olive-green ♦ Locality: Colorado, Brazil, India,
Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Russia and Zimbabwe.
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