Boracite
Freiberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany
.63 carats
© raregemhunter
Boracite produces crystals of various colours with vitreous to adamantine lustre. It has good clarity and hardness, but it is slightly soluble in water. This fact limits the use of boracite as a gemstone.
Faceted stones seldom exceed 1 carat in weight and are quite rare.
Boracite 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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Boracite Gemstones by Size
This table shows distribution of Boracite 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:0.27 cts
Heaviest:.63 cts
Average:0.40 cts
Total photos:3
Do you have a larger Boracite? Why not upload a photo?
| General Information | ||||||||||||||
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| Chemical Formula |
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| Physical Properties of Boracite | ||||||||||||||
| Mohs Hardness | 7 to 7.5, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Specific Gravity | 2.95 to 2.96, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Tenacity | Brittle, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Cleavage Quality | Poor, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Fracture | Conchoidal, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Optical Properties of Boracite | ||||||||||||||
| Refractive Index | 1.658 to 1.673, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Optical Character | Biaxial/+, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Birefringence | 0.010 to 0.011, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Pleochroism | Nil, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Dispersion | Nil, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Colour | ||||||||||||||
| Colour (General) | Light green, colourless, white, yellow, bluish., Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Transparency | Transparent,Translucent, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Lustre | Adamantine,Vitreous, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Fluorescence & other light emissions | ||||||||||||||
| Fluorescence (General) | Very weak greenish fluorescence, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||||||||||
| Crystallography of Boracite | ||||||||||||||
| Crystal System | Orthorhombic, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Habit | Pseudo-cubic, octahedrons, dodecahedrons, tetrahedrons, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Geological Environment | ||||||||||||||
| Where found: | Boracite is found in evaporite deposits, usually associated with gypsum, anhydrite and/or halite., Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Further Information | ||||||||||||||
| Mineral information: | Boracite information at mindat.org | |||||||||||||
| Significant Gem Localities | ||||||||||||||
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