Yes that is normal. Impure sapphire has, among other things, significant amounts of the mineral boehmite (a form of aluminum hydroxide) crystallized along twinning planes. The result is a few directions of parting that act like cleavage planes.
That said, it does look less sapphirey from this angle.
Yes that is normal. Impure sapphire has, among other things, significant amounts of the mineral boehmite (a form of aluminum hydroxide) crystallized along twinning planes. The result is a few directions of parting that act like cleavage planes.
That said, it does look less sapphirey from this angle.
Thank you the seller said it's a "Silver Star" sapphire.
But do you like it as a specimen, Stephen, or would you break it up and cab some?
I'd definitely put it on my specimen shelf.
So, I took this little piece off from the big chunk and gave it a basic polish for fun... (video) https://streamable.com/d94m2 under the mobile flashlight, it shows some transparency
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What do you think? is this considered as Opaque?... thanks
Hammers care nought for hardness. In gem terminology hammer resistance is referred to as 'toughness'. Diamond is very hard, defining 10 on the scale but is brittle, so smashing it isnt too difficult. Nephrite is only a 6 but you will break your hammer on it.
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