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Dioptase
Dioptase has got the chemical formula Cu6[Si6O18] * 6H2O. It means that Dioptase crystals contains water. Dioptase has got a hardness of 5 and so it is not very hard, but sometimes it is also used for jewels. Dioptase is transparent. Usually it grows in geodes and it has got nice, huge crystals. Often the crystals are short, they have got the form of columns and they are hexagonal. Because of the emerald-green color Dioptase is often confused with emerald. Dioptase is a rather rare mineral. Dioptase can be found in Kazakhstan (Altyn-Tube), in Namibia (Tsumeb), in the USA and in Peru.
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Data about Dioptase
| | Chemical formula |
Cu6[Si6O18] * 6H2O |
|---|
| Mineral class |
silicates |
|---|
| Crystal system |
trigonal |
|---|
| Hardness |
5 |
|---|
| Density |
3.3 g/cm3 |
|---|
| Color |
emerald-green |
|---|
| Line color |
green |
|---|
| Gloss |
glass gloss |
|---|
| Break |
shell |
|---|
| Fissileness |
very good |
|---|
Author and Webmaster: Lukas Czarnecki
If you have got questions about Dioptase you can send me an e-mail under the following adress:
webmaster@hpwt.de
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Last Update: 29.03.2005