Onyx - a variety of agate, chalcedony variously zonal education, where the layers are distributed plane-parallel to each other. Hardness of 7.0 on the Mohs scale, density 2.5-2.8 g/cm3, shiny glass. Other names of the mineral and its varieties: jam Nogat, sardonyx, carnelian, onyx marble, ribbon agate, eldzhazo.
Today, we meet often in the form of onyx pretty inexpensive trinkets - animal figures, stands for pens, business card holders, ashtrays, candleholders, and other art objects, it is affordable to almost everyone. Therefore, it seems sometimes that this stone - one of those "average", which is absolutely not true. In fact, Onyx - this thing is "double down" on the one hand, it serves as material for handicrafts, the other - to create a costly vase, mantels, countertops and wall tiles. Designers onyx especially loved for their unique qualities - this mineral has excellent light transmission capacity, and to deal with it s
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Obsidian - volcanic glass wool rock. Formed by the solidification of acidic viscous lava. Hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale, a density of 2.3 g/cm3, a silky luster, glass. Other names: obsidan, resin stone, royal agate stone bottle, mountain tree, Iceland agate, Wasser-beryl, mountain Jet, persian, snow obsidian, Apache tears, Tokay luxury sapphires, muslin stone, jade Montana.
History obsidian has at least 9000 years - but it is possible that our ancestors knew him before that, because to get a splinter of obsidian, dig it out of the lava, it was pretty easy. Already during the Paleolithic obsidian manufacture axes, spears and knives. Later, with the development of a culture of stone, obsidian became known around the world, but its current name comes from ancient Rome, the legislator Gemstone fashion antiquity - a stone was named after the Roman Obsidiusa, which was first presented to the emperor mineral found them in Nor
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Jade - mineral of the tremolite-actinolite isomorphous series of the amphibole group, calcium silicate, magnesium and iron. Conditionally divided into tremolite-nephrite (lighter) and actinolite-Jade (green shades). The hardness of 6.0-6.5 on the Mohs scale, density 3.0 g/cm3, silky shine, wax. Other names of the mineral and its variants: a kidney stone, Canadian jade, Diana Yu, Poonam, hash, jasper.
Jade - one of the most revered in the East, the stones, and had possession of the other local kings expensive than some cities. Which just did not go about it - worker, believed that it was taken from him the throne of the Buddha in the celestial palace, and that this gem will grant immortality and ensures rebirth after death. So often, pieces of jade were put in the mouth of the deceased - to do so, for example, in Mexico, in addition Maya adorned graves of famous dead jade mosaic on the fingers wore jade rings, put on your face
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Black or dark brown quartz, silicon dioxide (silica), opaque. Hardness on the Mohs scale - 7.0 -2.6 g/cm3 density, luster glass. Other names: black quartz.
Morion - a black quartz, which used to be called black rock crystal, as well as a variety of smoky quartz. Such a rare color in minerals morion acquired by radioactive radiation, which is subjected in the host rock, such as granite. Experts disagree as to the origin of the name "Morion" some believe that it comes from the Greek marrosys - «gloomy" or morysso - «Black», others - that the Latin mormorion - «The Dark Crystal." In Europe, this mineral is also called morion, in the U.S. its name - smoky (smokey) quartz - smoky quartz, which is not quite true. The Urals, where Morion always accompanies topaz, beryl and amethyst, rock nicknamed "Smolyak" and "Gypsy" for the characteristic shape of the fracture and its luster.
Malachite - water carbonate of copper. The hardness of 3.5-4.0 on the Mohs scale, density 4.0 g/cm3, silky luster, glass. Other names: copper greens, peacock stone, satin ore murrin.
Ironically, malachite appeared at all in Russia - his first steps on the planet were made in ancient times, when people have the Neolithic it was considered not a decorative material, and hand tools: from powdered malachite, mixed with soda, azurite, acacia sap and other natural binders, primarily produced bright green and blue paint. She summed Egyptians eyes, stained glass, painted ritual objects and walls of the brightness of these dyes, unfading after many centuries, is still legendary. However, although the oldest crafts malachite 10,500 years, initially this was not considered a precious stone - in addition to colors, with it also began to mine the valuable copper ore and malachite sparing evaporated to get a little more expensive coppe
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Lapis - sodium aluminosilicate and calcium mineral from the group sodalite. Hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale, density 2.3-2.9 g/cm3, transparent, silky luster, glass, strong white fluorescence. Another name - lapis lazuli, Lazurik, Bukhara stone, Armenian stone.
Alas, in the great empires of the ancient love of beauty combined with cruelty, and precious stones valued much higher than human life. Our ancestors gave gems preference because they are able to survive more than one generation of people - that's what happened with lapis lazuli, which was truly a favorite stone of Egypt, Sumer, Akkad, Persia, and many other great States, now sunk into oblivion. Thanks knowledges archaeologists, we know that especially loved lapis lazuli in Egypt, where it was called the "son of heaven" and dedicated to Pharaoh as God's representative on Earth of the Sun Ra. Blue stone became a measure of value, they are covered with statues o
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Labrador - mineral from the group of calc-sodic feldspar. Glitter - from matt to glass. The hardness of 6.0-6.5 on the Mohs scale. Density of 2.7 g/cm3. Other names: black moonstone, bulls eye, spectrolite, Cariati.
Right or wrong were old traditions and occult scientists, we do not know. But just look at the Labrador, to feel how it differs from other gems. Unusual property bull's eye - irisation, or the ability to overflow from different angles in different colors - in nature minerals are rare, and have never seen so vividly and clearly in the case of a Labrador is a quality even given a special name - labradorizatsiey. Basic color Labrador, usually gray, black or brown-yellow, but on the surface of the stone, he pours cold green, blue, blue and violet shades, then flaring up like a fire, then dissolving in opaque black sapphire haze gleams - no wonder it in India peacock stone called a resemblance to a colorful peacock
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