Inorganic Gemstones

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Scheelite

Scheelite rough from Pingwu, Sichuan Province, China.

Scheelite is quite soft and is therefore faceted only for collectors of the unusual. It has high dispersion and good fire, and varies in colour from a pale yellowish white to brown. Colourless synthetic scheelite is used to imitate diamond, but can be distinguished by its birefringence. It may also be coloured by trace metals in order to imitate other gemstones.

Scheelite is found in pegmatites and metamorphic rocks. Very large crystals over 0.5 kg have been collected in Brazil but generally larger crystals are not sufficiently transparent to be faceted. Other localities include Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Finland, France and England.


Properties
Chemical Composition: 

Calcium tungstate

Crystal System / Forms: 

Tetragonal

Hardness: 
5
Specific Gravity: 

6.10

Lustre: 
Vitreous to adamantine
Refractive Index / Birefringence: 

1.92-1.93 / 0.017

Sources: 

Brazil, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Finland, France and England.

Cuts & Uses: 

Brilliant, Mixed, Step cut.

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