Is kornerupine rare?

Kornerupine is a rare borosilicate mineral that is even more rarely found in gem grade. It was first discovered in Greenland in 1884 and is named after the Danish geologist Andreas Nikolaus Kornerup.

What is a Kornerupine stone?

Kornerupine is a rare borosilicate mineral and gemstone. Its intense color resembles that of an emerald. The stone was named for the outstanding Danish mineralogist Andreas Kornerup (1857-81), who explored Greenland where the mineral was first discovered at Fiskenaesset in 1884.

What is the hardness of kornerupine?

6-7
Kornerupine Information

Data	Value
Fracture	Conchoidal
Hardness	6-7
Cleavage	Perfect 2 directions
Crystallography	Orthorhombic; crystals prismatic; also fibrous, columnar.

Where is Kornerupine mined?

Kornerupine is usually found in Sri Lanka in deposits known as ‘placers’. These form in river beds that retain thick mud and heavy stones, allowing lighter minerals such as Sphene, Iolite, and Garnets to flow to another deposit slightly downstream. Deposits of Kornerupine can also be found in Madagascar and Australia.

Where is Kornerupine found?

Although kornerupine was named in 1884, it was not until 1912 that gem-quality material was found and it remains uncommon to this day. Deposits are found in Burma (Myanmar), Canada (Quebec), Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Is Iolite a quartz?

Iolite Facts The gemstone iolite is the transparent form of the metamorphic silicate mineral Cordierite. The refractive indices of iolite are 1.542 to 1.551, very similar to that of quartz. There is however, no difficulty in separating the two gems because of iolite’s very strong trichroism.

Can iolite be white?

Less valuable gems have a faded purple color, and at the lowest end of the scale, Iolite can be nearly white or transparent. The color of Iolite is considered to be quite soft compared to other blue gemstones such as Sapphires.