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Actinolite - Alps, Austria

Actinolite

Hardness: 5,5-6 Color: green Formula: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5 Si8O22(OH2) Crystal System: monoclinic Richard Kirwan named actinolite in 1794, its name origins from the Greek aktina and lithos words referring to its look, the mixture of the bladed radiating crystals with interesting patterns. This mineral is a type of asbestos, its consistence is simular to the tremolite mineral,...
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Adamite - Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Durango, Mexico

Adamite

Hardness: 3,5 Color: colourless, white, yellow, green, brown, pink, purple Formula: Zn2AsO4(OH) Crystal System: orthorhombic It was named in 1866 by Charles Friedel french chemist and mineraologist after Gilbert Joseph Adam french mineral collector (wealthy consultant of the French Ministy of Finance), who discovered this rare mineral. Mostly it has an intense yellowish green colour,...
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Adulár klorittal - Alpok

Adularia

Hardness: 6-6,5 Color: colorless, white, yellow, pink Formula: KAlSi3O8 Crystal System: monoclinic It was named after its locality in Adula Massif, Switzerland (Ticino, Tessin) by Ermenegildo Pini (Italian priest, naturalist, mathematican, geologist, philosopher) in 1780. Adularia is a variety of orthoclase wich belongs to the felspar group, potassium-aluminium-silicate mineral. Moonstone is also adularia. The whitish,...
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Aegirine - Mount Malosa, Malawi

Aegirine (Pyroxene group)

Hardness: 6 Color: reddish-brown, dark-green, black Formula: NaFeSi2O6 Crystal System: monoclinic The name of the aegirine was given in 1835 by Jons Jakob Berzelius (sweedish doctor and chemist), from the scandinavian mythology after Aegir (giant sea lord), referring to the mineral’s location near the sea (Rundemyr, Ovre Eiker, Buskerud, Norway). The aegirine was discovered previously,...
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Agate - Sokolowiec, Dolny Slask, Poland

Agate

Hardness: 6,5-7 Color: varied changing colors - gray, brown, white, yellow, pink, and other. Formula: SiO2 Crystak System: trigonal /microcrystalline Agate belongs to the chalcedon group in the great family of quartz. It named after its original locality the antique Achates river (today Dirillo in Sicily). We can read first about this stone in the...
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Alexandrite - Ural, Russia

Alexandrite

Hardness: 8,5 Color: in natural light - green, in artificial light - red Formula: BeAl2O4 Crystal System: orthorhombic Alexandrite is a rare variety of chrysoberyl. A russian mineralogist Earl Lev Alekseevich Perovski found it in the 1830s in the emerald mines of Ural. While he was examining this interesting mineral, supposedly in candle light he...
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Washed almandine garnet crystals - Börzsöny Mts., Hungary

Almandine

Hardness: 7-7,5 Color: brownish red, deep red, reddish purple Formula: Fe3Al2(SiO4)3 Crystal System: cubic Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten, german mineralogist named almandine in 1800. This name origins from Alabanda, a city in southwest Turkey, where almadine has been tooled for a long while. Earlier, in 77 Plinius mentioned as Carbunculus Alabandicus in his writing, Naturalis...
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Aluminite Csordakút, Hungary

Aluminite

Hardness: 1-2 Color: white, grey, yellow, brown Formula: Al2((OH)4ISO4).7H2O Crystal System: monoclinic It got its name from its composition, becouse it is possible to contain 15-16% aluminium. Aluminite is an aluminium sulfate mineral with low water content. A german doctor and botanist, Johann Jakob Lerche noticed it first at the construction of a botanical garden...
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Amazonit kristály - Taquarali, Itinga, Minas Gerais, Brazília

Amazonite

Hardness: 6-6,5 Color: green, blue-green Formula: K(AlSi3O8) Crystal System: triclinic Amazonite is a green microcline belonging to the feldspar group. Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt gave its name in 1847, after the Amazon River. According to research it gets its color from its 1% lead content or iron. It usually issues in magmatic rocks, pegmatites, granite,...
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Amber with embedded insect

Amber

Hardness: 2-2,5 Color: yellow-orange-reddish-brown, black, white, blue, green  Formula: C78H11O10S Crystal System: amorphous Magyar nevét a német Bernstein (börnen-égni) szóból kapta. Az ókorban a görögök elektronnak nevezték mivel ha megdörzsöljük sztatikusan feltöltődik. Égésekor kellemes gyantás illata van. A borostyán megkövesedett fosszilis gyanta. Már az őskorban ismerte és használta az ember, kereskedtek is vele (a Római...
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Amblygonite - Brazil

Amblygonite

Hardness: 5,5-6 Color: colourless, grey, beige, yellow, pink, pale green, light blue, brown Formula: (Li,Na)AlPO4(F,OH) Crystal System: triclinic J.F.A. Breithaupt named amblygonite in 1817 from the greek amvlys (blunt) and gonia (angle) words, they referring to the cleavage angles between the planes are lower than 90 degrees. Amblygonite is a phosphate mineral wich contains lithium....
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Amethyst - Rio Grande do Sul , Brazil

Amethyst

Hardness: 7 Color: purple, violet Formula: SiO2 Crystal System: trigonal The amethyst got its name from the greek amethystos (not drunk) word because in the ancient times it has been belived that it protects from drunkenness. It can be found usually in volcanic rocks, in beautiful smaller or bigger crystalline voids, druses, geodes which are...
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Ametrine tumbled stones - Brazil

Ametrine

Hardness: 7 Color: purple, yellow Formula: SiO2 Crystal System: trigonal As the name of ametrine shows, it is a natural mixture of amethyst and citrine. It is also known on the name bolivianite, because its main locality is the Anahi Mine in Bolivia where the most of the ametrines origin from. Its formation is roughly...
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Ammolite - Madagascar

Ammolite

Hardness: 3,5-4,5 Color: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, violet, brown Formula: CaCO3 Crystal System: orthorhombic A mineral shop owner in Calgary (Canada), Marcel Charbonneau in 1967 named ammolite, because it crystallized on the surface of ammonites. He made doublets (glued two layers of gems) of them, under ammolite, upper rock crystal. After these, this interesting...
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Amphibole crystals - Plundichory Hurky, Suletice, Ústi nad La bem, Czech Republic

Amphibole (group)

Hardness: 5-6 Color: black, darkgrey, brown, green Formula: AX2Z5(Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2 Crystal System: monoclinic (orthorhombic) A french mineralogist, René Just Haüy in 1801 named amphibole from the greek amphibolos (ambiguous) word. It is an interesting name, because amphibole is not just a name of one mineral, it is a mineral group. For a long time mineralogists considered...
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Analcime - Csódi-Mt. Dunabogdány, Hungary

Analcime

Hardness: 5-5,5 Color: colorless, white, grey, yellowish, pink, greenish Formula: Na(AlSi2O6).H2O Crystal System: cubic  (polymorph) René Just Haüy, french mineralogist in 1797 named analcime after the greek analkimos (weak) word, due to the weak electrostatic properties of the mineral. Analcime belongs to the zeolite group and a relatively common mineral. Principally it can be found...
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Anapaite - Kerch peninsula

Anapaite

Hardness: 3,5 Color: colorless, green  Formula: Ca2Fe(PO4)2.4H2O Crystal System: triclinic Anapaite was named by Arthur Sachs in 1902, after its type locality Anapa, Taman Peninsula, Russia. Anapaite is a rare phosphate mineral. Its tabular, blade like crystals are similar to shards of glass. They often coalesce like sheaf. It mostly issues in swampy environment, in...
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Anhidrite

Angelite (Anhydrite)

Hardness: 3-3,5 Color: blue (angelite) colourless, white, grey, pink (other anhydrites) Formula: CaSO4 Crystal System: orthorhombic The blue variety of the anhydrite mineral became known as angelite. It is an anhydrous calcium sulfate. It cleaves perfectly in three directions. The name of anhydrite origins from the greek anhydros (without water) word (Hall in Tirol A.G.Werner...
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Kékapatit-madagaszkár

Apatite

Hardness: 5 Color: colorless, yellow, green, blue Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(F,CL,OH) Crystal System: hexagonal It can be easily confused with other minerals, so that its name origins from the greek apatao (deceive) word, given by A.G.Werner in 1786. Apatite is a group, it has more varieties. Today the apatite name is used for fluorapatite. In high temperature...
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Apophyllite - India

Apophyllite

Hardness: 4,5-5 Color: colorless, white, yellow, pink, green Formula: KCa4Si8O20(F,OH).8H2O Crystal System: tetragonal Apophyllite belongs to the family of zeolites. Its greek origin name apophyll (falling leaves) refers to that it falls little plates and looses water if it is heated. It mostly issues in vesicles of basalt and other volcanic rocks or in hydrothermal...
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Aquamarine - Erongo, Namibia

Aquamarine

Hardness: 7,5-8 Color: light blue, sea-green, sky-blue Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18) Crystal System: hexagonal (dihexagonal dipyramidal) Aquamarine belongs tot he family of beryl. It got its name from the latin aqua marina (sea-water) words, wich is a really snappy name becouse it’s once bluish and another time greenish. It is the talisman gem of the sailors. Aquamarine...
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Aragonit

Aragonite

Hardness: 3,5-4 Color: colorless, white, grey, yellow, brown, green, blue Formula: CaCO3 Crystal System: orthorhombic It has been named in 1797, after the Molina de Aragón municipality in Spain. Beside its massive look, it may have columnar, fibrous, spiky, speleothem or other shapes. From its striped, patterned, colorful massive varieties ornamental pieces, animal figures etc....
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Asztrofillit

Astrophyllite

Hardness: 3 Color: brown (bronze), golden yellow Formula:(K,Na)3(Fe,Mn)7Ti2Si8O24(O,OH)7 Crystal System: triclinic It is a rare mineral, it was noticed first in Norway in 1854. Its name origins from the greek astron (star) phyllon (leaf) words. Its look is often radial spiky, lamellar, sometimes has a star-like shape. Mostly can be found in volcanic rocks, often...
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Rainbow aura quartz

Aura quartz

Hardness: 7 Color: treatment-dependent, blue, yellow, rainbow color, pink  etc. Formula: Sio2 Crystal System: trigonal The aura quartzs are metal steamed quartzs, usually rock crystals coated with different materials (e.g. gold, titanium, platinum, iron etc.). Their names depend on the colors. The aqua aura is light blue, rose aura is pinkish red, indigo aura is...
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Aurichalcite

Aurichalcite

Hardness: 1-2 Color: blue, sky blue, greenish blue, pale green, Formula: (Zn,Cu)5(CO3)2(OH)6 Crystal System: monoclinic The name of aurichalcite was created by Theodor Boettger in 1839, referring to the mineral’s copper and zinc content and combining the greek oreichalkos (mountain copper) word. Earlier, in France in 1788 this copper zinc carbonate mineral was noticed. It...
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Aventurine

Aventurine

Hardness: 6,5-7 Color: green, yellow, brown, blue, gray Formula: SiO2 Crystal System: trigonal (microcrystalline) Belongs to the quartz family, its name origins from the XVII. centaury, the italian word, ventura (random luck). The most common aventurine quartz is green, it is fuchsite. If it is yellowish brown it is hematite or goethite. In the other...
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Axinite - France

Axinite

Hardness: 6,5-7 Color: brown, reddish brown, purple brown, colorless, yellow, gray, blue, purple Formula: Ca4Fe2+Al4(B2Si8O30)(OH)2 Crystal System: triclinic Axinite was named by R.J.Haüy in 1797. The name origins from the greek word axina (axe), referring to the common shapes of its crystals. In the axinite group we distinguish these minerals depending on what materials do...
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Azurit

Azurite

Hardness: 3,5-4 Color: blue Formula: Cu3(OH)2(O3)2 Crystal System: monoclinic According to the majority it got its name from its color, after the latin word azura. Some people say that the name origins from the persian lazhward (blue) word. Azurite issues usually with malachite in the oxidation zones of copper ores. It has columnar, tabular crystals,...
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Barit-németország

Baryte

Hardness: 3-3,5 Color: colorless, white, gray, yellow, blue, brown, red Formula: BaSO4 Crystal System: orthorhombic Referring to its high density, its name origins from the greek word barus (heavy), it is also named heavy spar. Usually its tabular, prismatic crystals issue with a hydrothermal process. It has many applications in the industry, due to its...
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Berthierite

Berthierite

Hardness: 2-3 Color: steel-gray, leaden, bronze, Formula: FeSb2S4 Crystal System: orthorhombic The berthierite has been named after Pierre Berthier the french geologist, who had noticed this mineral first in 1827, near Chazelles (Haute-Loire) in France. It is an interesting fact, that Berthier wanted to name it haidingerite, but then revealed that an other mineral existed...
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Berill

Beryl

Hardness: 7,5-8 Color: colorless (goshenite), golden (golden beryl), yellowish green (heliodore), sky-blue, sea-green (aquamarine), green /emerald green/ (emerald), pink (morganite,) red  (bixbite/red beryl) Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18) Crystal System: hexagonal It has got its name from the greek word beryllos. On the name beryl we mean the minerals of the beryl group (above at the colors). Those...
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Bismuth grown crystals

Bismuth

Hardness: 2,25 Color: silver-white, with a multi-colored iridescent tarnish  Formula: Bi Crystal System: orthorhombic Probably the bismut has got its name from the german weisse masse (white mass), (saxon: wise must) words, because long time ago in Germany, in the mines of Erzgebirge the miners named this mineral which seemed to be useless that time....
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Bojikövekusa

Boji stone (Pop Rock)

Hardness: 5-6 Color: black, brown, gray Formula: FeS2 + FeooH.n H2o Crystal System: cubic The boji stones are natural iron ore ’balls’ spherical or lens shaped pyrites with limonite. According to the recent researches they consist palladium too. Their locality is the pyramidal Smoky Hill in Gove Country, Kansas State, USA. Similar pyrite balls issue...
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Bournonite

Bournonite

Hardness: 2,5-3 Color: steel-gray, dark gray, black Formula: PbCuSbS3 Crystal System: orthorhombic Robert Jameson the scottish naturalist and mineralogist gave the name of bournonite in 1805 after the french crystallographer and mineralogist Jacques Louis de Bournon who had determinated the chemical formula of this mineral. It is an interesting fact, before that, for a short...
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Brazilianite - Linópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Brazilianite

Hardness: 5,5 Color: yellow, yellow green, colorless Formula: NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4 Crystal System: monoclinic As we can see it is named after Brazil, where it was first identified in 1944. It can be found in phosphate rich granite pegmatites, usually together with muscovite mica, but often with quartz and albite. Its largest location is in Brazil, Minas...
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Brewsterite - Whitesmith Mines, Strontian, Argyll, Scotland

Brewsterite

Hardness: 5 Color: white, gray, yellow, greenish Formula: (Sr,Ba)2Al4Si12O32.10H2O Crystal System: monoclinic The english mineralogist H. J. Brooke named brewsterite after Sir David Brewster the scottish physicist and mathematician in 1822. The brewsterite belongs to the zeolite group, a strontium and barium aluminium silicate mineral. Before 1997 brewsterite was considered as a mineral specie, however...
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Bronzit

Bronzite

Hardness: 5-6 Color: brown (bronze), greyish Formula: (Mg,Fe)2(Si2O6) Crystal System: orthorhombic The bronzite got its name from its color and bronze-like light. It is an enstatite with iron content, member of the pyroxene group. Mostly issues in ultrabasic, volcanic rocks gabbro, peridotite, dacite etc. In spite of its interesting bronze-like twinkle, relatively few jewels and...
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Brookite - Kharan, Balochistan, Pakistan

Brookite

Hardness: 5,5-6 Color: reddish brown, brown, yellowish brown, dark brown, black Formula: TiO2 Crystal System: orthorhombic The name of brookite was given by Armand Lévy, french mathematician and mineralogist in 1825 after Henry James Brooke, english crystallographer and mineralogist. The brookite is a titanium dioxide, polymorph (same chemical composition, other crystallization) of the akaogiite, the...
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Bisszolit

Byssolite

Hardness: 5,5-6 Color: green, bluish-green  Formula: Ca2(Mg,Fe 2+)5Si8O22(OH)2 Crystal System: monoclinic The greek origin name which roughly means ’bearded envoy’, was given by Horace Bénédict de Saussure swiss geologist, physicist and alpinist in 1796. It is an interesting, asbestos like variety of actinolite which is a member of the amphibole group. Byssolite usually issues in...
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