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Name Origin | Aragonite is named after a locality in Molina de Aragon, spain |
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Chemical Formula | CaCO3 |
Color | Colorless, white, gray, yellow, green, blue-green, lavender, reddish, brown |
Hardness | 3.5 - 4 on Mohs Scale |
Crystal System | Orthorhombic. Pseudohexagonal, crystals often acicular, chisel-shaped, prismatic; also massive, columnar, fibrous. Frequently twinned |
Cleavage | Distinct 1 direction. Fracture subconchoidal. Brittle. |
Specific Gravity (SG) | 2.947 (pure). Usually 2.93-2.95; up to 3.0 if Pb present |
Pleochroism | None |
Luster | Vitreous to resinous |
Stone sizes |
Faceted gems are usually only a few carats. Most faceted gems are colorless, since colored material is usually massive. |
Occurrence | Worldwide occurrences, especially in limestone caverns, hot springs, and in the oxidized zone of ore deposits. |
Note: Aragonite is the unstable form of calcium carbonate. The stable and common mineral is calcite. It will change to calcite when heated to 400 C. The hardness of aragonite is too low to allow for safe wear. Faceted gems are almost always very small as opposed to calcite, which occurs in huge transparent masses or crystals. Faceted aragonite gems are thus truly rare collector's items.
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Photo Credit: www.shutterstone.com
"Aragonite-232887" by Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aragonite-232887.jpg#/media/File:Aragonite-232887.jpg
"Aragonite-232887" by Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aragonite-232887.jpg#/media/File:Aragonite-232887.jpg