Inorganic Gemstones

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Achroite

Rough Achroite

This particularly rare, colourless stone is a variety of elbaite, an associate from the tourmaline group. It doesn't show the strong dichroism characteristic on most tourmaline varieties and for that reason could be cut using the table facet either parallel or perpendicular to along the crystal. Colourless tourmaline can also be made by applying heat to light pink tourmalines.

Achroite occurs with coloured tourmalines within the pegmatites of Madagascar and Pala (in California in the united states),

Achroite is known as following the Greek work achroos, meaning “without colour”.


Properties
Chemical Composition: 

Complex borosilicate

Crystal System / Forms: 

Trigonal

Hardness: 
7.5
Specific Gravity: 

3.06

Lustre: 
Vitreous
Refractive Index / Birefringence: 

1.62-1.64 / 0.018

Cuts & Uses: 

Brilliant, Mixed.

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In Germany, the garland of ambers is hung around the necks of the infants, so that their teeth might come out without much trouble.

In Turkey, people fix a piece of amber in the hubble-bubble, dogged by an age old belief that the presence of the jewel would destroy all the germs and no disease would spread, even after many have dragged their puffs from it.

In Greece, people think if wine is poured into the cups made of amethyst, one does not get drunk after drinking that.

In Rome, a talisman having coral pieces is considered very auspicious to quell the bad spells of evil look. The Romans were in the habit of hanging chains made of ancient coral pieces from the cradle of the infants to protect them from evil effects.

In China, people wear rings studded with tiny conch or oyster shells as they believe it cures all aches such as stomach ache, worms and like.

In India, pendants made of silver and studded with pearls are hung from the necks of the children to save them from any bad effects.

Greeks still believe, if women wear blue sapphires then no sense of immorality would pollute their mind nor can any fear of the supernatural can trouble them.

The Pope Innocent III had circulated an order asking all the priests wear blue sapphire, so that morality can be strengthened.

It is said about turquoise, that when the stone changes its color into yellow, it actually signals bad times to the person who wears it.

It is believed that a turquoise gifted to a friend or a lover turns his or her life into one of happiness and good luck.

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