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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals P-T |
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Phenakite |
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Name
Phenakite
Chemistry
Be2SiO4
Uses
As gemstone or mineral specimen
Color
Colorless, white, wine yellow, tinted yellow, pink, pinkish red.
Hardness
7.5 - 8
Specific gravity
2.9 - 3.0
Crystals
Trigonal, crystals short prismatic, tabular
Accompanied by:
Apatite, Beryl especially Emerald, Bertrandite, Cassiterite, Calcite, Chrysoberyl, Feldspars, Fluorite, Hematite, Quartz, Topaz and some sulfides.
Fracture
Conchoidal
Luster
Vitreous
Cleavage
Distinct
Streak
White
Similar to:
Quartz
Name derived from the Greek word "phenakos" meaning "deceiver", in similarity to quartz when colorless.
Phenakite is a rare mineral found as vitreous, sometimes gemmy, crystals in beryllium-rich granite pegmatites.
It forms prismatic or rhombohedral crystals, which are often twinned
It mainly occurs in Brazil, the Ural Mountains, Namibia.
It's a transparent mineral that has vitreous luster.
Finished cut gemstones are very brilliant, but low in dispersion.
Phenakite may be colorless, yellow, pink, or brown, with a white streak.
Phenakite forms in granitic igneous rocks, hydrothermal veins and pegmatites (it also occurs in schist with beryl).
