Articles

Molybdenite - The Greasy Mineral

Molybdenite - The Greasy Mineral

Molybdenite is the principal ore mineral of molybdenum and rhenium. It occurs widely in igneous and metamorphic rocks generated under high temperature conditions. Despite its lack of popularity and rare crystal forms, it is a very interesting and important industrial mineral.

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Crocoite - The Red Lead

Crocoite - The Red Lead

Crocoite is a rare lead and chromium secondary mineral. Its rarity, bright red color, and exceptional crystal forms have guaranteed its place as a prized collection mineral. Crocoite is the first historic source of chromium and natural yellow pigment - unfortunately highly toxic.

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Opal - The Colorful Silica

Opal - The Colorful Silica

Opal is most valued for the rich variety of colors it exhibits, their interplay in ordinary light, and their unusual range of fluorescence. These attributes have guaranteed its continuing value as a gemstone since pre-Roman times.

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Rutile - the Titanium Crystals

Rutile - the Titanium Crystals

Rutile is a mineral of many forms and colors. It is quite widespread accessory mineral in many rocks but nice crystals are much less common. Rutile is also important source of titanium and has various industrial applications.

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Vanadinite - The Red Lead

Vanadinite - The Red Lead

Vanadinite is a popular secondary mineral species of vanadium and lead, occurring as an orange-red hexagonal crystals. Like many other exotic minerals, vanadinite has a complicated history of recognition and identification.

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How to Clean Mineral Specimens?

How to Clean Mineral Specimens?

Mineral cleaning and preparation is such a complex subject that it could easily fill a whole book. This article is a brief introduction of available mineral cleaning methods and their pros and cons.

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Wulfenite - The Yellow Plates

Wulfenite - The Yellow Plates

Wulfenite is a mineral species composed of lead molybdate, Pb(MoO4), sometimes occurring in sufficient abundance to be mined as an ore of lead, but in practice its molybdenum content is greater. Even so, it is rarely used as an ore mineral because there are easier sources of lead or molybdenum available to exploit.

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Stibnite - The Bladed Crystals

Stibnite - The Bladed Crystals

Stibnite is the principal ore of antimony. The mineral is widely admired for its spectacular crystalline habits, which exhibit extremes of sharpness, luster and size. Its principal metallic component, antimony, probably received its name from the Greek anthemon, describing its flowery appearance in clusters. The Latin name for the mineral, stibium, survives today as stibnite.

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Gold - The Yellow Metal

Gold - The Yellow Metal

Gold is a bright yellow native element, long prized as an object of natural beauty. It has attracted the attention of human cultures for thousands of years, and its softness, resistance to corrosion and workability have made it a favored material for creating decorative jewelry and early coinage. Modern technological applications have displaced much of its historic use in jewelry and measuring wealth.

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