CHRYSOLITE. 



This mineral is known among the 

 gems by many names. It is often called 

 chrysoberyl by jewelers, while the true 

 chrysoberyl is called Chrysolite. It is 

 also known by different names according 

 to its color, it being called peridot when 

 of a deep olive-green, olivine when of a 

 yellowish-green and Chrysolite when of 

 a lighter or golden-yellow color. The 

 name Chrysolite means gold stone. 

 Again some so-called emeralds are really 

 Chrysolite, a notable case being those 

 shown in connection with the Three 

 Magi in the Cathedral at Cologne. The 

 so-called "oriental Chrysolite" is yellow- 

 ish-green sapphire, "Ceylonese Chryso- 

 lite" is olive green tourmaline, "Saxon 

 Chrysolite" is greenish-yellow topaz, 

 "false Chrysolite" is moldavite, "Cape 

 Qirysolite" is prehnite, and so on. The 

 various designations have evidently 

 arisen by confounding different min- 

 erals similar in color but it is an easy 

 matter in any case to distinguish the 

 minerals by a test of their physical and 

 chemical properties. One feature dis- 

 tinguishing Chrysolite from most other 

 gems is its relatively low hardness, which 

 is 6f. It will thus scratch feldspar, but 

 is scratched by quartz and most other 

 gems. Again it is relatively heavy, its 

 specific gravity being between 3.3 and 

 3.4. Its luster, too, while vitreous, has 

 a slightly oily tinge, which can be de- 

 tected by a little experience. Chrysolite 

 is easily dissolved by the common acids, 

 especially if powdered and warmed, the 

 silica separating in a gelatinous form, 

 which is quite characteristic. In com- 

 position it is a silicate of magnesium and 

 iron, the relative percentages of the two 

 latter elements varying. In gem Chrvs- 

 olite the percentage of iron is usually 

 low and a typical composition would be : 

 Silica, 41 per cent ; magnesia, 49.2 per 

 cent, and iron protoxide, 9.8 per cent. 

 Before the blowpipe Chrysolite whitens 

 but is generally infusible. It crystallizes 



in the orthorhombic system and is hence 

 doubly refracting. The crystals have 

 good cleavage in one direction and par- 

 tial cleavage in another. The fracture 

 is conchoidal. Chrysolite is a common 

 constituent of eruptive rocks, but in 

 grains too small and too opaque to be 

 used for gems. 



Whence the large, transparent pieces 

 of Chrysolite used for gems are obtained 

 does not seem to be known. They are 

 reported to come from the Levant, from 

 Burmah, from Ceylon, from Egypt and 

 from Brazil, but the exact locality in 

 none of these countries has yet been as- 

 certained by writers. Mr. George F. 

 Kunz says that all the Chrysolite sold 

 in modern times is taken out of old jew- 

 elry, often two centuries old, so that it 

 is likely that the old localities are either 

 forgotten or exhausted. Recently, how- 

 ever, quite an amount of good Chrysolite 

 has come from a locality in Upper 

 Egypt near the Red Sea, and this is 

 doubtless one of the old sources of sup- 

 ply. The Qirysolites at present avail- 

 able are not of very large size, rarely ex- 

 ceeding an inch in diameter. They are, 

 however, of fine color and transparency 

 and make a desirable gem when 

 not exposed to hard usage. For 

 ring stones they scratch and wear away 

 too easily. Excellent small Chrysolites 

 come from Arizona and New Mexico, 

 being found in the sands in connection 

 with the pyrope garnets previously men- 

 tioned in those localities. There they are 

 locally called "Job's tears" on account 

 of their pitted appearance. Chrysolite 

 is an essential constituent of meteorites 

 and the grains sometimes occur in these 

 bodies of sufficient size and transparency 

 to be cut into gems of about a carat 

 each. Such stones have a peculiar inter- 

 est on account of their origin. 



Chrysolite is frequently mentioned in 

 the Bible and in ancient literature, but 

 it is pretty certain that much of the 



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