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Uvarovite:
Neosilicates (Calcium chromium silicate) Ca3Cr2Si3O12 AKA: Garnet |
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System: Isometric; crystals very common as dodecahedrons and trapezohedrons; also granular, lamellar, compact, disseminated. Appearance: Emerald-green; vitreous; streak, colorless. Physical properties: Hardness: (6.5 - 7.5); Specific gravity; (3.56 - 4.32) varies with composition; Cleavage: None; parting sometimes distinct in six directions; fracture, conchoidal, uneven; brittle; usually opaque but sometimes transparent with adamantine luster. Colorless streak. Similar species: Apatite is softer than any of the garnets; zircon has a higher gravity and often fluoresces; tourmaline has lower gravity. Occurrence: Some garnets are of igneous origin, but most of them are products of metamorphism. Uvarovite occurs with olivine and chromite in peridotite of plutonic rocks and in serpentinite of hydrothermal metamorphic rocks. Uvarovite is rare, but fine specimens showing bright-green micro crystals occur in Quebec Canada, and in brilliant crystals up to 3 mm (1/8") across also in Quebec. Miscellaneous: Uvarovite is named after Count S.S. Uvarov (1785 - 1855), Russian statesman and mineral collector. The different garnets are used industrially as abrasive materials. Conventional Wisdom:This mineral helps one recognize the universal nature of the soul. Once the thought is recognized, the action can be taken to live with the connectedness of all that is. It furthers precision and acts to transform the energy of intellectual sentiment into the energy of love, such that one may fully embrace it. It bestows peace, quiet and solitude - without loneliness. It promotes clarity in the mental processes. Belongs to the Astrological Sign of Aquarius. |