microlite
microlite crystal from Virgen do Mapa in Brazil
green microlite trillion cut
Detailed sheet
microlite
Its name comes from the Greek “micro” to indicate that when discovered in 1835 it was only present in small crystals.
CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
(Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F)
sodium calcium tantalum oxide
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Main color
yellow
Other colors
brown, green
Color of streak
yellow
Luster
resinous, vitreous
Hardness
5.0 to 5.5
Density
4.30 to 5.70
Cleavage
indistinct
Fracture
conchoidal, splintery
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
Transparency
opaque, translucent
Refractive index
1.980 - 2.020
Double refraction
0.000
none, isotropic, sometimes crystals show some polarization anomalies
visible double refraction
No
Pleochroism
absent
Number of colors
1
Fluorescence
none
CRYSTALS PROPERTIES
very small octahedrons
crystals system
cubic
OTHER INFORMATIONS
APPROACHING GEMS
Exploited
sites
It is found on the island of Elba in Italy, in Devon in England, in Austria, Moravia (Czech Republic), Rwanda, Madagascar, Brazil (Minas Gerais), the United States and Canada.
use in jewelry
it is cut in facets, it’s a collection stone
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