![]() Though the clearest and deepest colors of purple are favored for jewelry and bead making, amethyst can range from nearly clear to an opaque purple/black and registers at 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. ![]() As the birthstone for February and the gemstone for Pisces, amethyst veils the second month of the year in its purple haze. Because tarnish affects only the top layers, it can be removed, revealing the original metal below.The lovely violet quartz amethyst is the highest valued member of the quartz family of stones and continues through the ages to mystify and amaze us. Minerals, like silver, can be affected by oxygen and acids that result in tarnish. Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that changes the top few layers of the metal, preserving the lower layers from further tarnish. Rusted Meteorite – Rust is an iron oxide produced through the oxidation of iron. outdoors) will continue to rust until the metal is completely consumed. Therefore, a piece of iron left in a weathering environment (e.g. Rust will continue to form until one of the main ingredients (in this case, the iron) runs out. When iron and oxygen react in the presence of water or moisture in the air, rust forms. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that takes place when a mineral is exposed to oxygen. Oxygen affects minerals through a weathering process called oxidation. Smoky Quartz – The dark color comes from irradiation that changes how the trace elements relate to one another at the electron level within quartz. They are found as a late formation in pegmatite pockets, often overgrowing smoky quartz crystals in groups of parallel-grown crystals. Rose quartz is commonly found in the quartz cores of pegmatites and is believed to form at high temperatures, but it has also been found in hydrothermal veins. Rose Quartz – The pink color comes from trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese, in the mineral. Traces of iron (Fe2+) in the mineral beryl produce the light-blue color of the beryl variety aquamarine. In amethyst, there are trace amounts of iron (Fe) that cause quartz to appear purple. ![]() Iron can cause some minerals to be other colors. Trace elements are elements that are not part of the chemical composition but are present in small amounts and able to influence the color. The color variation in some minerals is due to trace elements. Andradite garnet: Ca 3Fe 3+ 2(SiO 4) 3 Grossular garnet: Ca 3Al 2(SiO 4) 3 In grossular garnet, aluminum is present instead of iron, resulting in a yellow-green color. In andradite garnet, iron causes the mineral to appear dark red. Some minerals that exhibit a variety of colors sometimes show them within the same crystal:įluorite (single green, shades of blue, purple, and blue, single purple). There are a variety of methods by which minerals get their color.Ĭolor variability in garnets is due to element substitutions. ![]() Quartz (clear, smoky, orange, purple) Some color variations of quartz also come with a variety of names: yellow/orange quartz is Citrine and purple quartz is Amethyst. Minerals with single color varieties:Ĭalcite (red, golden, gray, white, green, black) In fluorite and tourmaline, a single crystal can form two or more colors. Some mineral species, such as quartz and calcite, can come in a variety of colors.Ĭertain minerals form in various colors. Minerals such as gold always have the same color. Minerals can come in a wide variety of colors. ![]()
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