Lepidolite
Mexico
19.93 carats
© gemselect.com
Lepidolite is a violet to pink variety of Mica. Massive fine-grained material is used for ornamental purposes, it is polished into various shapes - cabochons and slabs. Transparent to translucent material is sometimes faceted.
Lepidolite Gemstones by Colour
This table shows the variety of hues this gemstone can be found in. Click on a photo for more information.
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Lepidolite Gemstones by Size
This table shows distribution of Lepidolite gemstone sizes that are listed on this site. This can give a good indication as to the general availability of this gemstone in different sizes.
Contributed photos
Lightest:19.93 cts
Heaviest:85.41 cts
Average:35.66 cts
Total photos:5
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| General Information | ||||||||||||||
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| Chemical Formula |
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| Physical Properties of Lepidolite | ||||||||||||||
| Mohs Hardness | 2.5, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Specific Gravity | 2.80 to 2.90, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Cleavage Quality | Perfect, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Fracture | Uneven, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Optical Properties of Lepidolite | ||||||||||||||
| Refractive Index | 1.525 to 1.587, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Optical Character | Biaxial/-, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Birefringence | 0.018 to 0.038, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Pleochroism | Nil, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Dispersion | Nil, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Colour | ||||||||||||||
| Colour (General) | Violet, pink, red, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Causes of Colour | Pink, Mn2+ in octahedral coordination Mn3+ in octahedral coordination, Pragmatic Spectroscopy For Gemologists (2011) | |||||||||||||
| Transparency | Transparent,Translucent, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Lustre | Vitreous,Pearly, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Crystallography of Lepidolite | ||||||||||||||
| Crystal System | Monoclinic, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Habit | Massive, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Geological Environment | ||||||||||||||
| Where found: | The occurrence is chiefly, if not exclusively, in granite pegmatites, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||||||||||
| Further Information | ||||||||||||||
| Mineral information: | Lepidolite information at mindat.org | |||||||||||||
| Significant Gem Localities | ||||||||||||||
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