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Gadolinite
Luster is vitreous to pitchy if black.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent if green, opaque if black.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include massive or embedded, also prismatic crystals with nearly diamond-shaped cross-sections and slanted dome terminations.
Cleavage is indistinct.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 4.0 - 4.7 (heavy for non-metallic minerals).
Streak is green to gray-green.
Other Characteristics: Index of refraction equals 1.79.
Associated Minerals include xenotime, synchysite, aeschynite, monazite, fluorite, allanite and some feldspars.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality for gadolinite-(Y) at Kopparberg, Sweden and for gadolinite-(Ce) in the Oslo region of Norway. Gadolinite in general is found as well in China; Kola Peninsula, Russia; Austria; Arizona and Colorado, USA and Switzerland among others.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, lack of good cleavage, streak, density, pitchy luster when opaque, hardness and color.
Colors: black, greenish-black or green
Hardness: 6.5 to 7
Gahnite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are generally just translucent to almost opaque, but some slightly transparent specimens are known.
Crystal System: Isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include the typical octahedron, but can be found as dodecahedrons and cubes.
Octahedrons may be truncated by dodecahedral faces and commonly show striations parallel to the octahedron-dodecahedron boundary.
Twinning by the Spinel Twin Law can produce trigonal appearing crystals with three reentrant angles on the sides of the crystal.
Cleavage: None
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 4.55 - 4.60
Streak is gray.
Associated Minerals include calcite, spinel, franklinite and several types of garnets.
Notable Occurrences include Rowe and Charlemont, Massachusetts; Spruce Pine, North Carolina; White Picacho district, Arizona; Topsham, Maine and Franklin New Jersey, USA
Colors: green but also known to be blue, yellow, brown or gray
Hardness: 7.5 to 8
Galaxite
Galaxite, or Galaxyite, is a micro-labradorite with intense energy.It is sometimes known as the "aura stone" because it is an energetic stoned that excels in protecting, cleansing, and balancing the aura.
Galaxite is also a stone of transformation, it assists with spiritual, mystical, and intuitive growth and transformation.
It enhances both the conscious intellect and the subconscious mind, and eases stress and anxiety.
Galaxite is helpful for astral travel and astral projection.
Galaxite is associated primarily with the crown chakra.
Galena
Harmony and holistic studies are both bolstered by the use of the stone.Galena is a primary source of lead, and as such is not recommended for internal use (such as making gem elixirs).
It is a "stone of harmony" and brings healing, calmness, efficiency, receptivity, communication, and insight.
Garnet
The garnet is a red (sometimes slightly purple-red) stone and is used for healing, protection and strength.It is associated with strength.
It strengthens the aura and creates a shield of protection for its wearer.
Garnets were once exchanged by parting friends to ensure they met again.
Garnet is also an important stone of romantic love and passion!
It is used in metaphysics to enhance sensuality, sexuality, and intimacy.
It can also assist mystically with success in one's career and building one's self-confidence.
It is also a protective energy stone which is especially effective for protection from evil, and is used for gentle spiritual healing.
A very specific form of garnet is favored by Thunder Healing Reiki: St. Maarten Garnet.
The Garnet Group is actually a larger group than most people know.
These are all garnets:
ALMANDINE: reddish brown to brown
ANDRADITE: brown, black or green
GROSSULAR: colorless, orange or green
PYROPE: dark red to ruby red
SPESSARTINE: orange, pink or brown
UVAROVITE: green
Colors: red and dark red to rust red, as well as yellow, green, orange, and black
Hardness: 7 to 7.5 depending on the variety
Gaspeite
Gaspeite is a recently discovered stone in the western hemisphere, found in 1966 and was initially a discarded byproduct of nickel sulfide mining.Emotionally, it reduces distress and brings assurance.
It also reduces ignorance, particularly emotional ignorance.
It also helps attracts friends and friendship.
Aboriginals use gaspeite to bring visions and grant success.
Metaphysically, gaspeite is best known for helping to bring spirituality into every day life.
It brings good fortune and helps prevent loss.
Luster is vitreous to dull.
Transparency: Crystals are usually translucent, massive material is opaque.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m.
Crystal Habits include rhombohedrons and scalenohedrons, but crystals are very rare.
More commonly found massive.
Cleavage is perfect in 3 directions forming rhombohedrons.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 3.7 (somewhat heavy for a translucent mineral).
Streak is yellowish green.
Other Characteristics: Effervesces slightly in hydrochloric acid.
Associated Minerals include millerite, pentlandite, skutterudite, annabergite and other nickel minerals.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Gaspe' Peninsula, Lemieux Township, Gaspe'-ouest County, Quebec and Sudbury, Ontario, Canada and a new source of carvable material from Kambalda and Widgie Mooltha which is North of Perth, Australia.
Best Field Indicators are color, locality, reaction to acids, cleavage and density.
Colors: pale green to apple green
Hardness: 4.5 to 5
Gaylussite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habits include intricately faceted prismatic to tabular crystals, but also massive and encrusting.
Cleavage is perfect in two directions.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 1.9 - 2.0 (well below average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include pirssonite, northupite, trona, analcime and halite.
Notable Occurrences include Searles Lake, San Berardino County; Deep Spring and Owens Lake, Inyo County; Borax Lake, Lake County and China Lake, Kern County, California, USA; Gobi Desert, Mongolia and Lagunillas, Merida, Venezuela.
Best Field Indicators: Crystal habit, environment of formation, cleavage, density and locality.
Color: colorless, white or yellowish
Hardness: 2 to 3
Geodes
Geodes are hollow concretions containing crystals.All quartz crystals form within these geodes.
When sliced open or halved, geodes reveal a pattern made of ancient minerals.
Geodes help in our search for greater truth and knowledge.
They provide assistance for those who seek inner peace.
Geodes strengthen people and bring them together.
Gersdorffite
Gibbsite
Luster is vitreous to dull; cleavage surfaces have a pearly luster.Transparency Crystals are translucent and rarely transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habit is usually massive but rare crystals are found in flattened tabular crystals.
In many bauxite specimens gibbsite is found in a pisolitic habit.
Also found as botryoidal encrustations, concretionary, stalactitic and foliated masses.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction, basal.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is 2.4 (slightly below average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: When breathed on, gibbsite gives off a noticeable clay smell.
Associated Minerals are boehmite, diaspore, azurite, hydrozincite and aurichalcite.
Notable Occurrences include Vogelsberg, Germany; Gant, Hungary; Les Baux, France; Lavrion, Greece; Guyana and Arkansas, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habits, hardness, smell and associations.
Colors: white or colorless with shades of gray, blue and green
Hardness: 2.5 to 3.5
Glauberite
Luster is vitreous, greasy to dull.Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habits include the steeply inclined wedge to tabular shaped dipyramidal crystals.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal).
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.7 - 2.8 (average for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Bitter salty taste, striations on most crystal faces and glauberite will dissolve in water but not as readily as halite.
Associated Minerals are calcite, halite, thenardite, gypsum and certain clays.
Notable Occurrences include Saline Valley, Inyo Co. and Searles Lake, San Bernardino Co., California, Great Salt Lake, Utah, Texas, New Mexico and Verde Valley, Arizona, USA; Strassfurt, Germany; Russia; Kenya; Chile; Toledo, Spain; Salzburg, Austria; France; Canada; Sicily and India. Pseudomorphs and casts come from many of the previously mentioned localities and from Paterson and Great Notch, New Jersey, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, softness, cleavage, taste, solubility and striations.
Colors: ordinarily white, yellow, gray or colorless
Hardness: 2.5 to 3
Glaucophane
Luster is vitreous to pearly.Transparency: Crystals are generally translucent.
Crystal System is Monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include scarce prismatic to acicular crystals, usually fibrous, granular or massive.
Cleavage is imperfect in two directions at nearly 56 and 124 degrees.
Fracture is conchoidal to splintery.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3 - 3.2 (slightly above average for non-metallic minerals).
Streak is pale gray to blue.
Other Characteristics: Pleochroic.
Associated Minerals include chlorite, epidote, lawsonite, omphacite, garnets, albite, barroisite, cummingtonite, aragonite, sphene, rutile, quartz, jadeite, actinolite and pumpellyite.
Notable Occurrences include the type locality of Syra Island, Cyclades Islands, Greece as well as numerous localities in the Coastal Range of California and the Kodiak Islands, Alaska, USA; St. Marcel, Val d'Aosta and Piollore (Biella), Italy; Anglesey, Wales, UK; Australia and Japan.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit (especially cross-section), color, luster, environment of formation, associations and cleavage.
Colors: blue to dull gray
Hardness: 5 to 6
Glendonite
Glendonite is a teaching stone of learning, discovery, and understanding.It supports the learning process by helping process information and thoughts.
It also is favored as a stone that enhances family life.
Gmelinite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is hexagonal.
Crystal Habits include tabular to platy crystals with a clear hexagonal outline.
The crystals have a gently sloping hexagonal dipyramid that terminates the top and bottom of the crystal that are often truncated by pinacoidal faces.
The overall effect gives the look of an angular classic UFO flying saucer.
Twinning is common with penetration twins.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.0 - 2.1 (very light)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Vertical striations are seen on the dipyramidal faces.
Associated Minerals are quartz, calcite, chabazite, phillipsite, natrolite, heulandite, stilbite and other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include Siegerland, Germany; Glenarm, Northern Ireland; New Jersey and Faroe Islands.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, hardness and associations.
Colors: clear, white, pink, yellowish and reddish
Hardness: 4.5
Goethite
Luster is earthy to dull for massive forms and metallic for crystals.Transparency crystals are opaque.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include prismatic and platy crystals, massive and aggregate forms include internally radiating or fibrous; reniform, botryoidal and stalactitic.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is uneven to splintery.
Specific Gravity is variable at 3.3 to 4.3 (light for metallic minerals)
Streak is brown, brownish yellow to orange yellow.
Associated Minerals include a large list of minerals (particularly secondary deposit minerals).
Notable Occurences include many iron mines around the world; especially nice specimens come from England, Mexico, and the Lake Superior region in Michigan, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, streak and tarnish.
Colors: yellow, brown, brownish red to black, sometimes "tarnished" with iridescent colors
Hardness: 5 to 5.5
Gold
Gold is purifying, healing, balancing, it attracts honors, and contains masculine energy. Gold can balance energy fields, and is beneficial for opening and balancing the third eye and crown chakras.It can remove negative energy from the chakras and bring in the positive from the stones it is with.
It has been used to bring wealth, happiness and good feelings.
Gold is a mineral of spirituality, understanding, and attunement to nature.
It attracts positive energy and is a great healing mineral.
Luster is metallic.
Transparency is opaque.
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include massive nuggets and disseminated grains.
Also wires, dendritic and arborescent crystal clusters.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is jagged.
Streak is golden yellow.
Specific Gravity is 19.3+ (extremely heavy even for metallic minerals)
Associated Minerals include quartz, nagyagite, calaverite, sylvanite, krennerite, pyrite and other sulfides.
Other Characteristics: ductile, malleable and sectile, meaning it can be pounded into other shapes, stretched into a wire and cut into slices.
Notable Occurrences include California and South Dakota, USA; Siberia, Russia; South Africa; Canada and other localities around the world.
Best Field Indicators are color, density, hardness, sectility, malleability and ductility.
Colors: golden yellow
Hardness: 2.5 to 3
Goosecreekite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic.
Crystal Habits include prismatic, irregular and blocky crystals.
Twinning is common and results in parallel growth.
Cleavage is poor.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.4 - 2.5 (light).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are quartz, calcite, epistilbite, heulandite, stilbite and other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include Poona, India and Luck Goose Creek Quarry in Loudon Co., Virginia.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, density, hardness and associations.
Colors: clear and/or white
Hardness: 4 to 4.5
Goshenite
Goshenite is colorless beryl.It is a stone of truthfulness.
Goshenite bring self-control, creativity, and originality.
It makes communication easier and can stabilize relationships.
Goshenite can be used for healing the leg muscles.
Graemite
Luster is vitreous.Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m.
Crystal Habits include prismatic deeply grooved crystals.
Cleavage is good in one direction (prismatic).
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.1 (heavier than average for translucent minerals).
Streak is pale green.
Other Characteristics: Specimens are usually striated.
Associated Minerals include cuprite, malachite, teineite, goethite, gypsum, quartz and tourmaline.
Notable Occurrences are limited to the type locality of the Cole Shaft near Bisbee, Arizona, USA. Other localities include the Dome Rock Mountains in La Paz County, Arizona and Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico.
Best Field Indicators are locality, color, density, associations and cleavage.
Colors: green to blue-green
Hardness: 3 to 3.5
Granite
Encourages us to go with the flow, and helps us find our highest path.Teaches us to live in a state of grace.
Graphite
Used during healing to enhance the energy transfer from a healer to the subject of the healing.Also excellent when used in wands, and is the stone of personal freedom.
Luster is metallic to dull.
Transparency crystals are opaque
Crystal System is hexagonal; 6/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include massive lamellar veins and earthy masses. also as scaly granules in metamorphic rocks.
Specific Gravity is 2.2 (well below average)
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is flaky.
Streak is black gray to brownish gray.
Associated Minerals include quartz, calcite, micas, iron meteorites and tourmalines.
Other Characteristics: thin flakes are flexible but inelastic, mineral can leave black marks on hands and paper, weakly conducts electricity.
Notable Occurrences include New York and Texas, USA; Russia; Mexico; Greenland and India.
Best Field Indicator is softness, luster, density and streak
Colors: black silver
Hardness: 1 to 2
Gratonite
Luster is metallic.Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
Crystal System: Trigonal; 3
Crystal Habits include rhombohedral as well as hexagonal prismatic crystals capped by three rhombohedral faces.
Clusters can be found in rosette-like aggregates, also massive.
Cleavage: None. v Fracture: Subconchoidal.
Specific Gravity is 6.2 (heavier than average for metallic minerals)
Streak is gray.
Notable Occurrences are limited to the Excelsior Mine, Cerro de Pasco, Peru.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, locality, color and density
Colors: dark lead gray
Hardness: 2.5
Greenocktite
Luster is adamantine to resinous.Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is hexagonal; 6 m m
Crystal Habits include small tapering hemimorphic six sided pyramids and platy hexagonal crystals.
Also seen as crusts or dustings over crystals of calcite, smithsonite and sphalerite.
Cleavage is poor in one direction (basal) and good in three other directions (prismatic).
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.5 - 5 (much heavier than average).
Streak is red, orange or light brown.
Other Characteristics: Striations on pyramidal faces parallel to base, an index of refraction of 2.50 - 2.52 and is soluble in hydrochloric acid giving off hydrogen sulfide gas
Associated Minerals include fluorite, chalcopyrite, quartz, smithsonite, calcite, pyrite, sphalerite, marcasite and prehnite.
Notable Occurrences include Greenock (hence the name), Scotland; Llallagua, Bolivia; Paterson, New Jersey; Joplin, Missouri; Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky, USA.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, streak and cleavage
Colors: honey yellow, orange, red or light to dark brown
Hardness: 3 to 3.5
Grossular
Luster is vitreous.Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include the typical rhombic dodecahedron.
Also seen is the 24 sided trapezohedron.
Combinations of these forms are common and sometimes the rare faces of the hexoctahedron, a 48 sided crystal habit that rarely is seen by itself, can also combine with these other forms making very attractive, complex and multifaceted crystals.
Massive and granular occurrences are also seen. Commonly forms crusts that show many rhombic faces
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.5+ (above average for translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are micas, chlorite, diopside, calcite, idocrase and serpentine.
Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.75 and many faces show a sort of striation caused by multiple crystal forms.
Notable Occurrences are Asbestos, Canada; Mexico; Kenya; Italy and Sri Lanka.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, environment and hardness.
Colors: colorless, yellow, orange, green, red, grey and black
Hardness: 6.5 to 7
Gypsum
Relieves stagnation and offers level-headedness.
Luster is vitreous to pearly especially on cleavage surfaces.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits include the tabular, bladed or blocky crystals with a slanted parallelogram outline.
The pinacoid faces dominate with jutting prism faces on the edges of the tabular crystals.
Long thin crystals show bends and some specimens bend into spirals called "Ram's Horn Selenite."
Two types of twinning are common and one produces a "spear head twin" or "swallowtail twin" while the other type produces a "fishtail twin".
Also massive, crusty, granular, earthy and fibrous.
Cleavage is good in one direction and distinct in two others.
Fracture is uneven but rarely seen.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.3+ (light)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are halite, calcite, sulfur, pyrite, borax and many others.
Other Characteristics: thin crystals are flexible but not elastic, meaning they can be bent but will not bend back on their own. Also some samples are fluorescent. Gypsum has a very low thermal conductivity (hence it's use in drywall as an insulating filler).
A crystal of Gypsum will feel noticeably warmer than a like crystal of quartz.
Notable Occurances include Naica, Mexico; Sicily; Utah and Colorado, USA; and many other locallities throughout the world.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, flexible crystals, cleavage and hardness.
Colors: white, colorless or gray, but can also be shades of red, brown and yellow
Hardness: 2
Gyrolite
Gyrolite is a mineral that has positive effects on other minerals by activating them and cleansing them.It is used to connect the physical body with the energetic body.
Gyrolite facilitates meditation and brings the wisdom of ancient civilizations, insight, willpower, and stability to its user.
It is also said to assist with self-confidence, as well as overcome excessive introversion and addictive behaviors.
Luster is vitreous to dull.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include the nodules described above. Nodules or concretions are lamellar to fiberous.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
Fracture is uneven.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.3+ (below average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: lacks the luster of smithsonite and prehnite is usually greener in color.
Associated Minerals are okenite, apophyllite, quartz, laumontite and other zeolites.
Notable Occurrences include Poona, India; California and Northern Ireland.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, luster and associations.
Colors: white or colorless, green or brown
Hardness: 3 to 4
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