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Name Origin | Inderite is named after the locality, Inder Lake, Kazakhstan. |
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Chemical Formula | Mg2B6O11.15H2O |
Color | Colorless; massive varieties white to pink |
Hardness | 2.5 on Mohs Scale |
Crystal System | Monoclinic, Crystals prismatic, nodular |
Cleavage | Perfect 1 direction. Fracture uneven, Brittle |
Specific Gravity (SG) | 1.78 - 1.86 |
Pleochroism | None |
Luster | Vitreous; pearly on cleavage |
Occurrence |
Borate deposits in arid regions. |
Stone sizes |
gems over 50 carats or more could be cut from large transparent crystals |
Note: Inderite is very soft and hard to cut, and only a few stones have been cut by collectors. There is plenty of cuttable material in existence, and although material comes from only a few localities it is not considered a great rarity. The surface of the cut stones may become white and cloudy after cutting; care must be taken in storage and to dry the stones after cutting. It is worth noting that Inderite is also known as Lesserite; and dimorph of Kurnakovite.
Photo credit:
"Inderite-352353" di Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0. Con licenza CC BY-SA 3.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inderite-352353.jpg#/media/File:Inderite-352353.jpg
References:
1- Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones, Joel E. Arem, VNR publications, New York.
"Inderite-352353" di Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0. Con licenza CC BY-SA 3.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inderite-352353.jpg#/media/File:Inderite-352353.jpg
References:
1- Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones, Joel E. Arem, VNR publications, New York.