Does anyone have any on Lavenderite? It is supposedly
from Brazil, but the color seems too intense to be natural.
Jackie
I found a reference through Google to a forum question looking for
it… and one of the responses said it was purpurite, which is a
manganese Phosphate. One mineral site says it is a pseudomorph of
lithiophyllite.
If that’s what it is, it is a rare material.
Carol
Carol J. Bova
The Eclectic Lapidary
http://www.eclecticlapidary.com
Hi Jackie
Searching the web I found reference on this website
http://www.houseofgems.com/newsletters/news11292004.htm
that this stone is actually a mineral called Stichtite. More
is then available that it is Mg6Cr2CO3(OH)16-4H2O,
Hydrated Magnesium Chromium Carbonate Hydroxide with more information
at
http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/carbonat/stichtit/stichtit.htm
It has a hardness of 1.5 - 2 so I have to assume it is treated to
harden it for jewellery. It is related to Rhodocrosite. Hope this
helps
Karen Bahr
Calgary, Alberta, Canada