Bixbite



Bixbite

General
Categorycyclosilicate)
O18
Identification
ColorOrange-red to red to purple-red
Crystal habitElongate or tabular first order prisms.
Crystal systemHexagonal
CleavageBasal, seldom visible
FractureConchoidal
Mohs Scale hardness7.5 - 8.0
LusterVitreous
Refractive index1.567-1.580
PleochroismPurple-red/orange-red to red
StreakWhite
Specific gravity2.66-2.70

Bixbite (also known as red beryl, red emerald, or scarlet emerald) is a red variety of bixbyite. Bixbite is rare and has only been reported from a handful of locations including:

  • Wah Wah mountains, Beaver County, Utah
  • Paramount Canyon, Sierra County, New Mexico
  • Round Mountain, Sierra County, New Mexico
  • Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah

The greatest concentration of gem-grade red beryl comes from the Violet Claim in the Wah Wah mountains of mid-western Utah, discovered in 1958 by Lamar Hodges, of Fillmore, Utah, while he was prospecting for Uranium [2].

While gem beryls are ordinarily found in pegmatites and certain metamorphic rocks, Bixbite occurs in manganese substituting for aluminium in the beryl structure.

Gem-quality bixbite is very rare, and the largest faceted gemstones are less than three carats (600 mg) in size.

See also

References

  • Mindat
  1. ^ Red Emerald History (2007-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
  2. ^ Red Emerald History (2007-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bixbite". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.