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Edenite
Luster is vitreous to pearly to dull.Transparency: Crystals are generally translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is Monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include prismatic to stubby crystals with a nearly diamond shaped cross-section the points of which can be truncated by minor prism faces.
The typical termination appears to be the two faces of a slightly slanted dome but is actually two of the four faces of a prism.
The termination faces are not only slanted toward each other but the two faces are slanted with respect to the long axis of the crystal as well.
Some terminations are rather complex and can make the crystal appear pseudo-orthorhombic.
Twinning is commonly seen and results in a groove or notch running down the "spine" of the prismatic crystals.
A fibrous habit is also seen.
Cleavage is imperfect in two directions at nearly 60 and 120 degrees.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.06 (slightly above average for non-metallic minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include tremolite, kaolinite, biotite, pyroxenes, spinel and calcite.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Edenville, Orange County, New York, USA as well as Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Franklin, New Jersey, USA; Cygnet, Tasmania, Australia; England and Aldan Shield, Siberia, Russia.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit (especially cross-section), color, luster, locality and cleavage.
Colors: green to black also dull gray or brown
Hardness: 5 to 6
Edingtonite
Luster is vitreous to dull.Transparency: Crystals can be transparent but most commonly are just translucent.
Crystal System is tetragonal and orthorhombic.
Crystal Habits include blocky to prismatic or bladed crystals usually with a square cross-section, also massive.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction lengthwise.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.8 (average, although heavy for a zeolite).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are manganite, heulandite, natrolite, stilbite and other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include Ice River, Canada; Old Kilpatrick, Scotland and Bohlet, Sweden.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density and associations.
Colors: colorless or white
Hardness: 4
Eilat
A Chrysocolla containing turquoise and malachite.Helps us to become more agreeable, harmonious and sociable.
Inspires protection, self-understanding, subconscious wisdom and general healing.
Elbaite (Tourmaline)
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: Trigonal; 3 m
Crystal Habit is typically elongated three, and occasionally six, sided prisms.
The terminations can be either a simple to complex trigonal pyramid or flat basal face.
The prism faces are striated lengthwise.
In cross section, all tourmalines will appear predominantly triangular in shape with some crystals showing a hexagon when three secondary prism faces are nearly as dominant as the three primary prism faces.
Doubly terminated crystals are hemimorphic meaning that the two ends of the crystal are not exactly alike.
The terminations on a doubly terminated crystal can have different slants to the pyramids on opposite ends.
Acicular and massive forms can also be found.
Cleavage is absent although there is basal parting.
Fracture is uneven to conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 3.0+ (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Refractive indices = 1.62 and 1.68
Associated Minerals include those minerals associated with granitic pegmatites and metamorphic rocks such as micas, feldspars, quartz and even other gem minerals such as beryl, garnets, spodumene and topaz.
Notable Occurrences include the San Diego, California area; Brazil; Elba, Italy (where Elbaite gets its name); Sri Lanka; Pakistan; Maine, USA and Russia as well as many others.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, triangular cross-section, color and hardness.
Colors: extremely variable with the most common colors being red, pink, green, blue, orange and yellow
Hardness: 7 to 7.5
Elestials
These stones assist in comprehending life, the levels of death, and the immortality of the spirit.
Emerald
An Emerald is representative of our planet.It is receptive and promotes the powers of love, money, protection, and physically enhances eyesight.
It brings and enhances joyfulness, cleansing of the spirit, general clairvoyance abilities, and improved memory.
It also benefits intuition and communication, while it promotes truthfulness.
Emerald is associated with the heart chakra.
The emerald is assigned to Cancer.
A variety of Beryl
Birthstone for May.
Cleavage: one direction, poor
Crystal System: hexagonal
Colors: various depths of green
Hardness: 7 to 8
Emmonsite
Luster is vitreous to dull.Transparency: Crystals are translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1.
Crystal Habits include small flaky or prismatic crystals as well as mamillary and compact masses.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.5 - 4.7 (rather heavy for translucent minerals).
Streak is pale green.
Associated Minerals include various other tellurium minerals such rodalquilarite, mackayite, schmitterite and other tellurates and tellurites Also associated with native tellurium, quartz and cerussite.
Notable Occurrences are limited to the Moctezuma Mine, Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico; the type locality of Tombstone, Arizona; Cripple Creek, Colorado; Nevada and New Mexico, USA and Honduras.
Best Field Indicators are locality, color, density and cleavage
Colors: yellowish green
Hardness: 5
Enargite
Green, brownish-green, gray, yellow.Is associated with sages, medicine men and women, shamans, priests and priestesses.
Helps us develop wisest, highest self.
Helps us find our inner guide.
Luster is metallic.
Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2 m m
Crystal Habits include pseudohexagonal prismatic to blocky or tabular crystals, often terminated by a flat pedion face.
Also found massive, granular and in radiating aggregates.
Twinning is common and sometimes results in a star shaped cyclic twin called a trilling.
Cleavage is perfect in two directions, prismatically; distinct in two other directions also prismatically but with different orientations.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.4+ (average for metallic minerals)
Streak is black.
Other Characteristics: crystals are typically striated lengthwise and a tarnish will dull the luster of crystals over time.
Associated Minerals are quartz, bornite, galena, sphalerite, tennantite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, covellite, pyrite and other sulfides.
Notable Occurrences include Butte, Montana, San Juan Mountains, Colorado and at both Bingham Canyon and Tintic, Utah, USA; Sonora, Mexico; Argentina; Chile; Morococha and Cerro de Pasco, Peru and Island of Luzon, Philippines.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, streak, cleavage and associations
Colors: gray to black
Hardness: 3 to 3.5
Enstatite
This is a self-esteem booster. Green, gray, yellow or brownish-green.Promotes loyalty, devotion, memory and channeling abilities.
Luster is vitreous to pearly. Weathered specimens can have a submetallic luster ("bronzite").
Transparency: Crystals are generally translucent and rarely transparent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include rare individual crystals that have a stubby prismatic habit.
More typically massive or in coarse lamellar or fibrous aggregates.
Cleavage is perfect in two directions at nearly 90 degrees.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.2+ (slightly above average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Index of refraction is approximately 1.65.
Associated Minerals include iron and stony meteorites, augite, feldspars and certain types of garnets.
Notable Occurrences include the Tilly Foster Mine, Brewster, New York; Boulder, Colorado; Jackson Co., North Carolina; Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania and Bare Hills, Maryland, USA as well as many localities from around the world especially in India, Burma and Tanzania.
Best Field Indicators are color, crystal habit, hardness, cleavage, index of refraction and luster.
Colors: typically white, colorless, gray, light brown or pale green
Hardness: 5 to 6
Eosphorite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Specimens are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include prismatic slender crystals and radial aggregate sprays.
Crystals are usually altered or partially dissolved.
Cleavage is good in two directions at right angles.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 (average), but increases with increased iron content.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include rose quartz, lithiophilite, hureaulite and triphylite.
Notable Occurrences include Taquaral, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Hagendorf, Bavaria, Germany; White Picacho district, Arizona; Branchville, Connecticut; Mt. Mica, Maine and the Palermo Mine, New Hampshire, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, localities and density.
Colors: pink, salmon-pink, yellow, colorless, red and even brown or black
Hardness: 5
Epididymite
Luster is vitreous to silky.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic.
Crystal Habits include fibrous, acicular and prismatic habits, but more commonly found as tabular, somewhat elongated crystals and aggregate spherulites.
Twinning is frequently seen as six sided tabular to columnar trillings and "fishtail" twins.
Cleavage: is perfect in two directions (basal and prismatic).
Fracture is splintery to uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.5 - 2.6 (average for translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are many and include nepheline, aegirine, pyrite, sphalerite, serandite, eudialyte, catapleiite, elpidite, pyrophanite, astrophyllite, molybdenite, natrolite, siderite, rhodochrosite, calcite, analcime, feldspars, micas and fluorite.
Notable Occurrences include Kola Peninsula, Russia; Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Langesundfjord, Norway and Narssarssuk, Greenland.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, cleavage, associations, locality and hardness.
Colors: white or colorless, but can be pale gray, blue, yellow or violet
Hardness: 6 to 7
Epidote
Epidote is a stone used went something needs to be increased or improved upon.Epidote has a tendency to increase anything it touches, whether the thing it touches is energy or a material object.
It is a stone that enhances emotional and spiritual growth.
It cleanses repressed emotions, often once and for all.
It opens the way for those who have denied spiritual growth, and those drawn to epidote are probably being nudged (although somewhat forcefully!) into some sort of spiritual awakening.
Epidote also clears the emotional aura.
It stimulates perception, participation, and interaction as well as personal power.
It also dispels criticalness and closedmindedness.
Epidote is also promotes patience.
In the physical realm, it is used to stimulate the immune system, aid digestion, support all healing, and stop panic attacks.
Colors: reddish with green specks or the reverse
Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include long, somewhat prismatic or tabular crystals with a typically dominant pinacoid that the crystal is often flattened against.
The terminations are wedge shaped or tapered pyramids.
Many clusters show grooved slender crystals or acicular sprays. Also massive, fiberous or granular.
Cleavage good in one direction lengthwise.
Fracture is uneven to conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 3.3-3.5
Streak white to gray
Associated Minerals calcite, biotite, hornblende, actinolite, andradite garnet and other metamorphic minerals.
Other Characteristics: striated to the depth of grooves in some crystals.
Notable Occurances Untersulzbachtal, Austria; Italy; Baja, Mexico and many localities in the USA.
Best Field Indicators only one direction of cleavage, crystal habit, color and hardness.
Colors: "pistachio" green to yellowish or brownish green, also brown to black
Hardness: 6 to 7
Epistilbite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include tabular to prismatic crystals, sometimes fibrous and radiating.
Twinning is common with the interpenetration twin forming a cruciform (cross) shaped crystal.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.2 - 2.3 (very light)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, beryl, calcite, yugawaralite, heulandite, stilbite and other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include Poona, India; Berufjord, Iceland; Osilo, Sardinia, Italy; Isle of Skye, Scotland and in pegamtites at Bedford, New York and in the basalts of Hawaii, USA
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, low density, locality and associations
Colors: colorless, white, pink and reddish
Hardness: 4
Epsomite
Luster is vitreous in large crystals; silky to earthy in most specimens.Transparency: Crystals are translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2 2 2.
Crystal Habits include fibrous, acicular, encrusting, stalactitic, botryoidal and granular masses.
Typically formed on the walls of caves and mines as efflorescences and in playa lakes.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction and distinct in two other directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 1.7 (well below average).
Streak is white to colorless.
Other Characteristics: Is very soluble in water.
A fact that is a detriment to most collection specimens as they may absorb water from the air and deteriorate over time.
The taste is bitter like epsom salt.
Associated Minerals include aragonite, gypsum, calcite , mirabilite, pyrite and pyrrhotite.
Notable Occurrences include Epsom (hence the name), Surrey, England; Mt. Vesuvius, Italy; Stassfurt, Germany; Herault, France; Kruger Mountain, Oroville, Washington; Albany County, Wyoming; El Tiro Mine, Arizona and Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA; Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada and South Africa.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, low density, associations, solubility in water and taste.
Colors: colorless, white with pale shades of pink and green
Hardness: 2 to 2.5
Erionite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is hexagonal.
Crystal Habits is limited to wool-like aggregates and crusts.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.0 (very light)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are opal, calcite, heulandite, clinoptilolite, pyrite, thenardite, halite, celandonite, herschelite, phillipsite, chabazite, analcime and other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include Durkee, Baker County, Oregon; Nevada, South Dakota and Arizona, USA and the Faroe Islands.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, low density, locality and associations.
Colors: colorless or white
Erythrite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include flattened, striated blades or radiating accicular crystals; crystals are rare.
More commonly as crusts or earthy masses.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is uneven
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.1 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is pale red.
Associated Minerals are silver, cobaltite, skutterudite, and other cobalt vein minerals.
Other Characteristics: blades are flexible and sectile.
Notable Occurences include Cobalt, Ontario; Bou Azzer, Morocco and Germany.
Best Field Indicators are color, associations and flexible crystals.
Colors: deep red-purple to lighter pinks in massive and thin crust forms
Hardness: 1.5 to 2.5
Esperite
Luster is vitreous or greasy to dull.Transparency: Specimens are translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is monoclinic.
Crystal Habits include massive and granular specimens.
Cleavage is poor.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.3 - 4.4 (above average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Fluoresces a yellow color under short-wave UV light.
Associated Minerals include willemite, zincite, franklinite, larsenite, clinohedrite, calcite and hardystonite.
Notable Occurrences include its type locality at Franklin, New Jersey as well as Sterling Hill, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA and Bolivia.
Best Field Indicators are fluorescence, associations, locality and poor cleavage.
Colors: white or colorless
Hardness: 5
Ettringite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m.
Crystal Habits include hexagonal prisms terminated by an hexagonal pyramid or a pinacoid, more commonly by both.
Terminations can be rounded or dome-like but many have nice flat faces.
Flattened rhombohedrons, acicular and fibrous forms are also seen.
Cleavage is poor and rarely seen.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 1.7+ (well below average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Crystals are usually rather small, typically less than 1/4 inch long.
Associated Minerals are calcite, afwillite, pillipsite and some other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include several South African localities such as Hotazel and Kuruman District and Ettringen, Germany (hence the name).
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, hardness, lack of cleavage and color
Colors: bright yellow, also colorless and white
Hardness: 2 to 2.5
Euclase
Facilitates benevolence, selflessness, generosity and altruism.
Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include stubby prismatic crystals with non-symmetrical slanted terminations.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (prismatic), poor in two other directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 3.09 - 3.11 (slightly above average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Almost always striated lengthwise.
Associated Minerals include micas, quartz, topaz, beryl, gold, pericline and some feldspars.
Notable Occurrences include Ouro Preto and other areas within Minas Gerias, Brazil; Kenya; Tanzania; Ural Mountains, Russia; Germany and with emeralds in the famous mines of Columbia.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, good cleavage, striations, hardness and color.
Colors: colorless, blue-green, blue, yellow, light green and rarely purple
Hardness: 7.5
Eucryptite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: trigonal; bar 3
Crystal Habits include granular grains and massive forms.
Some crystals can be well formed with trigonal prisms with rhombohedral terminations.
Eucryptite can also replace spodumene forming pseudomorphs.
Cleavage in poor in three directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.67 (average for non-metallic minerals).
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Prism faces striated lengthwise, index of refraction is 1.55 and some specimens fluoresce pink under UV light.
Associated Minerals include quartz, micas, feldspars and spodumene.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Branchville, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA as well as Harding Mine, Dixon, New Mexico and Parker Mountain, Stafford, New Hampshire, USA and Bikita, Zimbabwe
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, striations, environment and hardness.
Colors: usually colorless or white
Hardness: 6.5
Eudialyte
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m.
Crystal Habit is typically embedded grains and distorted rhombohedral crystals.
Cleavage is poor in one direction (basal).
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 2.9 (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Crystals tend to be fractured and are somewhat brittle.
Associated Minerals include many rare minerals as well as nepheline, feldspars especially albite, and natrolite, quartz, calcite and aegirine.
Notable Occurrences include Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Kola Peninsula, Russia; Kangerdluarsuk and Julianehaab, Greenland; the Langesundfjord region of Norway; Madagascar and Magnet Cove, Arkansas, USA.
Best Field Indicators are lack of crystal habit, association with aegirine, locality, color and hardness.
Colors: red-violet, pink, blue, yellow and a light brown
Hardness: 5 to 5.5
Eudidymite
Luster is vitreous to silky or pearly.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habits include tabular crystals and aggregate spherulites.
Twinning forms stellate figures with wedge shaped spokes.
Cleavage: is perfect in two directions.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.5 - 2.6 (average for translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include nepheline, aegirine, catapleiite, natrolite, fluorite, rhodochrosite, feldspars, micas and analcime.
Notable Occurrences include Kola Peninsula, Russia; Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Langesundfjord, Norway and Narssarssuk, Greenland.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, cleavage, associations, locality and hardness.
Colors: white or colorless, but can be pale pink, gray, yellow, blue or violet
Hardness: 6 to 7
Euxenite
Luster is greasy to submetallic.Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include tabular to prismatic crystals with domal terminations and often embedded in the matrix of the host pegmatite; as well as granular and massive.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.3 - 5.9 (heavy for non-metallic minerals).
Extreme variation caused by variable composition of component metals.
Streak is yellow, brown or gray.
Other Characteristics: Slightly radioactive and crystals/specimens are often coated with a yellow limonite like earthy coating.
Associated Minerals include quartz, feldspars, molybdenite, chalcopyrite, fergusonite, monazite, columbite, tantalite, allanite, gadolinite, and zircon
Notable Occurrences include the Ural Mountains of Russia; Iveland, Aust-Agder, Norway; Sweden; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Ampangabe, Madagascar; Quadeville, and Madwaska, Ontario, Canada; sites in the White Tank Mountains and Kingman Quarry, Arizona; Encampment, Wyoming and in Colorado, USA.
Best Field Indicators are luster, fracture, color, radioactivity, associations, environment and specific gravity.
Colors: black with a tinge of yellow, brown or green
Hardness: 5.5 to 6.5
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