Lapidaryforum.net
Let's Rock => Identifications of Materials => Topic started by: harebells on January 06, 2017, 08:05:14 AM
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this stone was sold as variscite at an online store from utah. i looked closely at the stone and it isn't homogenous solid but looks like a mottle of green and transparent substance in close inspection.
(https://s28.postimg.org/7ba88znft/IMG_0252.jpg) (https://postimg.org/image/7ba88znft/)
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I'd say it's not. I have a small piece of Utah variscite sitting in front of me right now. Been trying to decide if I want to cut it or save it as a specimen piece.
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It could be but it more resembles Aventurine which is quartz with mica. If you can scratch it with a knife, it has a much better chance of being variscite. If you can't, it is too hard to be variscite.
Bob Johannes
The Amethyst Rose
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I second the adventurine call. It has that translucent quartz appearance.
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Or chlorite in quartz. I've even seen soapstone/steatite that looks very similar.
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I tried scratching with the pointed end of a knife and it looks like it left a crater so was able to scratch easily.
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Probably soapstone or some mostly calcium mineral like anhydrite (which gets sold as "angelite" and similar). I see a lot of pyramids, obelisks, points, "crystals", carvings and spheres in metaphysical and bead booths at shows that are imported by the barrelful from Asian factories, and only occasionally do they turn out to be the material and source that is represented (more often man-made concoctions or dyed/heavily treated stuff they happen to have on hand). Your piece could conceivably contain some low grade variscite, but it doesn't look anything like Utah or Australian material with which I'm familiar, and I would be skeptical.