Description
VESUVIANITE CRYSTALS
This is the bright green vesuvianite crystals in garnet skarn. Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.5 x 2.5″ (9 x 6.4 x 6.3cm). Weight – 17oz (483 grams). Origin: Russia, Siberia.
Some information about vesuvianite:
Vesuvianite, also known as idocrase, is a green, brown, yellow, or blue silicate mineral. Vesuvianite occurs as tetragonal crystals in skarn deposits and limestones that have been subjected to contact metamorphism. It was first discovered within included blocks or adjacent to lavas on Mount Vesuvius, hence its name. Attractive-looking crystals are sometimes cut as gemstones. Localities which have yielded fine crystallized specimens include Mount Vesuvius and the Ala Valley near Turin, Piedmont.
The specific gravity is 3.4 and the hardness ?6 1?2. The name “vesuvianite” was given by A. G. Werner in 1795, because fine crystals of the mineral are found at Vesuvius; these are brown in color and occur in the ejected limestone blocks of Monte Somma.
