Rare Minerals

1. Petrified wood with opal veins
Under certain conditions, the fragments of a fallen tree does not perish, and mineralized, becoming a real stones bizarre. This requires hundreds of years and the lack of air access to the material, resulting in a unique mineral, resembling icy shards of wood, covered with glittering splashes of opal or chalcedony.





2. Uvarovite
Discovered in the 19th century in Siberia, a stone belonging to the pomegranate, popularly called "Ural emerald." Stunning green color gives the mineral chromium. In nature, it is extremely rare, and the few findings have very modest size. By the way, this mineral is meant Alexander Kuprin in his work "Garnet Bracelet».



3. Fluorite
This mineral has long been used for decorative purposes and delight the views of high society graceful translucent vases and statues, glow in the dark, now he found himself more applications of optics, becoming an excellent material for lenses.



4. Kemmerer
It is very fragile stone fuchsia - Kemmerer - is considered collectible. To make a piece of jewelry, you need to master to make all his scruples and accuracy. For this reason, the value of the processed mineral is extremely high.



5. hematite, rutile and feldspar
The ability of the black mineral hematite in the processing of water painted in blood red was the cause of many ineradicable superstitions regarding this stone. But he is popular not only because - hematite is very common in nature and is used in addition to decorative in many application areas.



6. Thorburn
How fascinating this mineral is beautiful, just as he is deadly. Prism crystals torbernita contain uranium and can cause cancer in humans. In addition, by heating the stones begin to slowly emit hazardous to the health of radon gas.



7. Klinoklaz
Rare Crystal klinoklaz have one little secret - when heated, this exquisitely beautiful mineral highlights garlic smell.



8. White barite, studded with crystals vanadinita
His name was in honor of vanadinite Scandinavian goddess of beauty Vanadis. This mineral - one of the toughest on the planet, since it has a high lead content. Store crystals vanadinita is away from sunlight, since they tend to darken under their influence.



9. Fossil egg? No - geode with opal core
In areas rich in minerals, can be found geodes - geological formations, which are oral, concealing within various minerals. In sections and how geodes may look bizarre and extremely attractive.





10. Silver stibnite with barite
Stibnite antimony sulphide is, however, it seems that it is composed of high grade silver. Because of this similarity one day someone decided to make it a luxury material utensils. And it was a very bad idea ... crystal antimony causes severe poisoning, even after contact with the skin should be thoroughly washed with soap and water.



11. chalcanthite
The enchanting beauty of these crystals hides a mortal danger: being in a liquid medium, the copper contained in this mineral starts to dissolve rapidly, threatening all living things, was on her way. Just one small blue stone is able to destroy a pond with all its flora and fauna, so it pays to treat it with extreme caution.



12. Kakoksenit
Fulfilling the role of inclusion, a rare mineral that is able to give unique quartz and amethyst coloring and higher costs. As a representative of needles, kakoksenit incredibly fragile.



13. Labradorite
Produced in northern regions of the mineral of its kind though it reflects the sky, under which it was found: the play of color against a background dotted with sparkling stars of the dark stone reminiscent of the northern lights, blazing the long polar night.



14. Black Opal
The most valuable kind of opal. Although the word "black" in the title, the greatest value of this mineral gets when has a multi-colored sparkling on a dark background. The various shades of his radiance - the higher the price.



15. Kuprosklodovskit
Needles kuprosklodovskita attract admiring attention to the depth and diversity of its green color and a curious form. However, this mineral is mined in uranium deposits and is highly radioactive and must be kept away not only from living beings, but even from other minerals.



16. Blue halite and sylvite
The milky white or whitish sylvite often found in volcanoes and blue halite (sodium chloride) - in sedimentary rocks.



17. Bismuth
Artificially grown crystals of bismuth are recognizable iridescent sheen on their dark surface. This effect occurs because the oxide film covering it. By the way, bismuth oxide chloride is used in the creation of nail polish as a means to make them shine



18. Opal
Noble gem opal demanding the surrounding humidity during a long stay in overly dry conditions it may become darker and even crack. For this reason, opals is sometimes "bathed" in clean water, and often wear if they are presented in the form of jewelry to rocks saturated with moisture coming from the human body.



19. Tourmaline
Juicy red and pink colors, smooth transitions of colors with the most unexpected range makes tourmaline one of the most popular collectible minerals. According to historians it was crowned with many such stones jewelry and accessories royals and eminent persons from Catherine the Great to Tamerlane.



20. Bayldonit
His rare color crystal bayldonit obligation to keep the copper in its composition and brilliance - a high percentage of lead.



21. Osmium
Having the status of the densest natural substance, osmium is extremely difficult to of any treatment. Widespread use of this metal in medicine, manufacturing and defense industry makes the demand is extremely high. A subject of osmium rarity in nature the price of one gram of its isotope currently equals twenty thousand dollars.



22. Malachite
Whimsical location of copper layers in the cavities of karst caves where born malachite, determine the future structure of its patterns. They can be represented by concentric circles, star belt placers or chaotic patterns. Age of malachite beads found in the ancient city of Jericho, archaeologists determined in 9000 years.



23. Emmons
Pretty rare mineral Emmons, presented in the form of small needles with a glassy luster, found in mines in North and South America.



24. Aquamarine on potassium mica
The similarity of faces clean sea waves, the Roman thinker Pliny the Elder gave the name of this noble stone "aquamarine". Over blue aquamarines are valued more than the green. This mineral is very popular among designers and jewelry lovers, and its highest strength in handy helps to create jewelry of any configuration.



25. Meteorite Pallas
German scientist Pallas in 1777 brought the museum Kunstkamera samples of rare metal, found in Krasnoyarsk on the site of a meteorite. Soon he was transferred to St. Petersburg the whole lump of extraterrestrial origin weighing 687 kg. This material is called "Pallas Iron" or Pallas. An equivalent of those substances that are produced on our planet found. Experts estimate that the meteorite is an iron-nickel base with numerous patches of olivine crystals.



26. Bole
Small cubic crystals of blue - boleity - especially appreciated in the countries of the Americas. In Russia, this is a rare mineral in the course has not been noticed.



27. crocoite
The name "crocoite" comes from the Greek word meaning "saffron" because the similarity of the crystal surface with this spice visible to the naked eye. Red lead ore, which is for this mineral, is particularly valuable for collectors and connoisseurs.