PLANET DISTANCE 0.4AU
MERCURY
Labradorite ((Na,Ca)₁₋₂Si₃₋₂ O₈), a sodium-rich plagioclase feldspar which displays a particular type of iridescence on a dark ground. Labradorite is found in igneous rocks, both plutonic and volcanic.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | TRICLINIC
MOHS SCALE | 6.0-6.5
MATERIAL WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN THE ISLE OF PAUL, 1770
Origin and occurrence: Magmatic in gabbros, basalts, anorthosites; metamorphic in amphibolites. Large iridescent aggregates up to 1 m across, come from Nain, Labrador, Quebec, Canada and also occur in Korostenskiy massif, Ukraine and Ylämaa. Finland.
PLANET DISTANCE 0.7AU
VENUS
Nephrite (Ca₂(Mg,Fe)₅Si₈O₂₂ (OH)₂,), a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron rich amphibole minerals tremolite or actinolite, mostly known for its green varieties.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | MONOCLINIC
MOHS SCALE | 6.0-7.0
NEPHRITE JADE WAS USED MOSTLY IN CHINA & NEW ZEALAND, PRE-1800
Origin and occurrence: Nephrite can be found in a translucent white to very light yellow form which is known in China as Khotan Jade, in an opaque white to very light brown or gray which is known as chicken bone jade, as well as in a variety of green colors.
PLANET DISTANCE 1.0AU
EARTH
Sodalite (Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄ Cl₂), a sodium aluminum silicate chloride in the Sodalite group with an isometric crystal system. Its royal blue forms are the best known. As a mineral, it is a principal component of lapis lazuli.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | CUBIC
MOHS SCALE | 5.5-6.0
MATERIAL WAS FIRST DISCOVERED GREENLAND, 1811
Origin and occurrence: Magmatic in alkaline syenites and phonolites, associated with nepheline, zircon and titanite; hydrothermal in marbles. Granular aggregates are known from the Princess Sodalite mine, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada and Ditrau, Romania. Crystals up to 100 mm across come from Kangerdluarssuk, Greenland.
PLANET DISTANCE 1.5AU
MARS
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | AMORPHOUS
MOHS SCALE | 5.0-6.0
Mahogany Obsidian (SiO₂), a volcanic glass which contains undulating parts of oxidized Hematite or Magnetite, which are usually colored mahogany brown or brick red within a black-colored base material.
OBSIDIAN CAN ONLY FORM NEAR ACTIVE VOLCANOES
Origin and occurrence: It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. Red or brown obsidian generally results from tiny crystals or inclusions of hematite or limonite (iron oxide).
PLANET DISTANCE 5.2AU
JUPITER
Tiger’s Eye (SiO₂), a metamorphic rock with a golden to red-brown colour lustre. It is formed when the Quartz takes over and dissolves the Crocodolite, leaving the Quartz in a finely fibrous and chatoyant form.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | HEXAGONAL
MOHS SCALE | 6.5-7.0
For more than a century, textbooks and museum displays have identified the material as an archetype of pseudomorphism, i.e., the replacement of one mineral by another with the retention of the earlier mineral’s shape. Rather, we argue that tiger’s-eye classically exemplifies synchronous mineral growth through a crack-seal vein-filling process.
PLANET DISTANCE 9.5AU
SATURN
Calcite (CaCO₃), a carbonate mineral, one of the most common minerals occurs in a great variety of shapes and colors, and it constitutes a major portion of many of the earth’s rocks.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | HEXAGONAL
MOHS SCALE | 3.0
CALCITE WAS USED IN WORLD WAR II FOR GUN SIGHTS
Origin and occurrence: Calcite is a very abundant mineral found in the Earth’s crust. It is found in sedimentary rock. It is usually mined from deep underground or quarried from the surface of the Earth which can be found in various countries in the world including Mexico, the US, England, India, and Germany.
PLANET DISTANCE 19.2AU
URANUS
Amazonite (KAlSi₃O₈), a mineral of limited occurrence. Formerly it was obtained almost exclusively in the Ilmensky Mountains. For many years, the source of amazonite’s color was a mystery.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | TRICLINIC
MOHS SCALE | 6.0-6.5
AMAZONITE WAS NAMED AFTER THE AMAZON RIVER
Origin and occurrence: Magmatic in granites, syenites and pegmatites; metamorphic in various rock types, as orthogneisses and migmatites: hydrothermal in the Alpine-type veins and ore veins; a typical rock-forming mineral. Well-formed amazonite crystals up to 40 cm across occur in pegmatite cavities in Crystal Peak, Colorado, USA.
PLANET DISTANCE 30.1AU
NEPTUNE
Synthetic Cat’s Eye, glass material exhibits a rare optical trait known as chatoyancy. Chatoyancy is the unique ability to reflect light in a way that resembles the slit eye of a cat, hence the name ‘cat’s eye’.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | NOT APPLICABLE
MOHS SCALE | 8.5
SAME MATERIAL USED IN FIBER-OPTIC COMMUNICATION
Origin and occurrence: The Cat’s Eye stone composed of a substance known as Ulexite, which is spun glass fibers fused together and then machine-cut to form the shapes. Even though the stone is man-made, it still contains the chemical properties of some types of natural glass (primarily Quartz), so it is said to possess the same metaphysical attributes.
PLANET DISTANCE 39.5AU
PLUTO
Heliotrope (SiO₂), also known as bloodstone, is a variety of jasper or chalcedony (which is a cryptocrystalline mixture of quartz).
CRYSTAL SYSTEM | HEXAGONAL
MOHS SCALE | 6.5-7.0
HELIOTROPE IS A VERY POROUS STONE WHICH REJECT IT’S POLISH IN WATER
Origin and occurrence: The red or brown spots in Bloodstone are formed by iron oxide impurities, especially Hematite. The solid green color is caused by dense inclusions of Chlorite or amphibole minerals inside the Chalcedony. The base color of Bloodstone may be bluish-gray, but it often has an uneven color distribution, with red streaks and spots.