Siberian blue quartz / Siberian Blue
Misleading commercial name for, in most cases, man-made, blue colored glass. This material has been on the market for years, but has recently become more…
Category: Gem or Scam? Library
Black labradorite
Synonym for larvikite, a magmatic rock (syenite or monzonite) from Larvik, Norway. Includes feldspars that show a Schiller effect (“labradorescence” or “adularescence”) similar to labradorite.…
Black moonstone
Commercial name for a dark gray to brownish-black, unspecified feldspar with a form of ‘flash’ or pearly luster. A rough piece of ‘black moonstone’ from…
Sulfur
Official mineral name for the element sulfur when it occurs as a natural mineral. It appears in a variety of forms: from powdery yellow layers…
Silicon carbide
Name for man-made compound of silicon and carbon (SiC), also known as carborundum and sometimes referred to as moissanite. There is a very rare natural…
Sulfur in quartz / sulfur quartz
Questionable name for yellowish colored quartz; the yellow color is probably caused by limonite or other iron compound, but not sulfur. Judy Hall introduces the…
Transvaal jade
Misleading commercial name for a massive variety of grossular, a green mineral from the garnet group. Named after the former Transvaal province in South Africa…
Swiss opal
Misleading commercial name for serpentine with chrysotile (a fibrous mineral from the asbestos group). Sometimes also offered as Zebra jasper, but this usually refers to…
Trapiche amethyst
Designation for amethyst, usually in cut form, with alternating purple and clear triangular patterns, that looks like a kind of wheel. However, this is not…
Shaman (dream) crystal/quartz
Commercial name for quartz with various inclusions, including chlorite. Also called Garden quartz or Shaman (dream) crystal/quartz. See also lodolite.
