I've been looking up amazonite on the Internet and in gemology books, and I've found very little information on Chinese amazonite. Most sources do not list China as a source of amazonite.
So what is Chinese amazonite? I've been purchasing said stone which ranges from a pale green to a darker blue-green. And I've also been unable to determine which color is the most desirable. One website said the lighter pale green is more desirable, but it seems the darker color often costs more.
Chinese amazonite also does not have striations like those found in Russian amazonite but seems chalkier with mostly white blotches.
Any help in understanding this stone is appreciated. Thank you.
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:01 am Posts: 370 Location: Easley, South Carolina
amazonite is a form of plagioclase feldspar. feldspar is the most common mineral found in the crust of the earth. Moh's hardness = 6. Color and striations, etc. are dependent on the elements available at the time of formation and the temperature/pressure at which the mineral formed. Since the mineral is metamorphic in origin, and China has multiple mountain building regions (Tibet among others), it probably can be found there.
john
_________________ John Atwell Rasmussen, Ph.D., AJP Web: http://handmadeartists.com/shop/rasmussengems Blog: http://rasmussengemsandjewelryllc.blogspot.com/
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
Perhaps I am over thinking this, but I don't know why it is referred to as "Chinese Amazonite" and not simply Amazonite if there is not something else going on here. Typically, the opaque, semi-translucent amazonite I've seen looks more like this:
If you would like to send me some samples, I'd be happy to see if I can discover anything, no charge.
That Chinese amazonite looks a little hinky. I'd suggest getting it tested.
Remember that Asian marketers have no interest in what the actual stone might be... witness the incredible variety of things called Chinese jade and Chinese turquoise.
Microcline is a very common mineral, and is normally much more attractive than the beads in the photo; personally I wouldn't touch that stuff.
Price wise, the deeper the green, the more amazonite is valued.
The finest Russian material, and the Virginia material, is awesome.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
We have done a bit more research on the beads represented as "Chinese Amazonite" and have compiled the following article for your edification. Click on the following link to download a surprising identification! http://gemologyonline.com/amazonitepaper.pdf A Special thanks to Alberto's testing on the GemmoRaman and Joanne's generosity in supplying the beads for testing. [pdfview]http://gemologyonline.com/amazonitepaper.pdf[/pdfview]
And thanks SO much to you and Alberto for getting to the bottom of this mystery. Now when I test my "quartz" beads to see if they're actually glass, I'll have a piece of true quartz (so-called Chinese amazonite) to test against.
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