However minute traces (often as little as 1%) of other minerals can alter the corundum from colorless into stunning reds, pinks, yellows and blues. If the trace element is iron and titanium we get the blue colored sapphires if the trace mineral is chromium then the corundum turns red and g...
Tumbled stones are small, rounded, brightly polished pieces of rocks and minerals. They are made by placing rough rocks in a machine known as a rock tumbler, which tumbles them until their edges and surfaces are smooth and polished. They are also known as "polished stones," "tumbled gems,...
for many of these organic dyes and inorganic minerals are increasingly being replaced by their synthetic counterparts. Qualitatively, the differences may be great or they may be small, so much depends on subtlety and the test of time. Thus, though she doesn’t seem to have an axe to grind,...
Now, each of these layers can be subjected to micro-Raman Spectroscopy. Most non-synthetic pigments are obtained from minerals, and minerals usually have a crystalline structure. Crystalline solids interact with light and uniquely scatter them, and every mineral has a unique scattering pattern, like...
Lapis lazuli istechnically not a crystal at all, but in fact a rock composed of lazurite, calcite, pyrite and sodalite, as well as various other minerals. ... The more blue the rock, the more valuable it is. Lazurite, which makes up the majority of lapis lazuli is that beautiful indigo...
No, amber is not a mineral. That is because minerals are natural, homogenous elements with an accurate chemical composition. Their structure is usually crystalline, and their origin is completely inorganic. Amber doesn’t meet this parameter because it is organic in nature and its structure is hi...