Crystals Part 2 (More Sparkly Things!)

As a follow up to my previous post on crystals, I thought I would share some of the other pieces in my mineral collection. I didn’t include these in my initial post because, unlike the pieces in the first set, these stones have all been cut or polished in some way. Their overall shape and appearance isn’t necessarily representative of how they would look in nature (in other words, the cutting and polishing was done to enhance the natural appearance). Don’t be fooled by how big some look in the pictures. With a few exceptions, most of these minerals are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand–and some could sit on your finger tip!

Azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2)

Chrome Diopside (CaMg (Fe,Cr) Si2O6)

Rose Quartz (SiO2)

Calcite (CaCO3)

Fluorite (CaF2)

Native copper (Cu)

Malachite ( Cu2CO3(OH)2)
Labradorite ((Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8)

Galena (PbS)

Muscovite Mica (KAl3Si3O10(OH)2)

Citrine (SiO2)

Amethyst (SiO2)

Smoky Quartz (SiO2)

Phantom quartz (SiO2) Forms when a new crystal grows overtop of an older crystal.

Fluorapatite (Ca2Ca3(PO4)3F)

Lepidolite (K(Li,Al)3(Si,Al)4O10(F,OH)2)

Hematite (Fe2O3)

Amethyst (SiO2)

Quartz (SiO2)

Selenite (CaSO4·2H2O)