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Moonstone (gemstone)



Moonstone

General
Categoryorthoclase feldspar[1]
Chemical formulaKAlSi3O8
Identification
Molecular Weight277.83479576
ColorCan be numerous colors, including grey, white, pink, green and brown, but the most valuable are deep blue.
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Mohs Scale hardness6 - 6.5
Refractive index1.52 - 1.53 to 1.53 - 1.54
Optical PropertiesBiaxial Negative
Dispersion0.008
Specific gravity2.55 - 2.58

Moonstone is typically a potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula KAlSi3O8 [1]

The most common moonstone is of the mineral Adularia. The Plagioclase Feldspar Oligoclase also produces moonstone specimens. The sheen is caused by light reflecting internally in the moonstone from layer inclusions of different Feldspars.

References

  1. ^ a b Moonstone Gemstone Information.


 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Moonstone_(gemstone)". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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