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 Post subject: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 12:19 pm 
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Hey guys sorry if this is a dumb question, but is fluorite supposed to smell? I have a large crystal and I went to clean it with some mild detergent and a toothbrush and WOW! This gross smell came out kind of like petroleum maybe? I smelled the toothbrush and it was ok. It was definitely the rock! Is that normal?


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 1:54 pm 
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Trapped fluorine gas perhaps? If so, I would be careful, fluorine is highly toxic.


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 3:03 pm 
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This is not totally atypical for fluorite. There is one variety known as stinkspar which has indeed been found to contain small bubbles of pure fluorine gas, which had previously not been thought to occur in nature (thanks to how extremely reactive it is). Robin is correct that elemental fluorine is nasty stuff--it is after all nicknamed the "gas of lucifer" because of its explosive and/or toxic properties. However, I don't think that the concentrations in stinkspar are high enough to be of serious concern.

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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:13 pm 
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Ah ok thanks guys! It's so pretty I didn't expect that foul smell to come out of it! The rock still stinks now hopefully it goes away soon. Interesting read!


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2015 7:00 pm 
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Your specimen has most likely been oiled.

Not unusual for fluorites, calcites, especially out of China. Soft and easily dinged, the oil hides the dings and makes them look more transparent and lustrous.

To smell stinkspar, you have to break it; the fluorine is trapped inside.


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2015 11:13 pm 
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From another thread:
Barbra V wrote:
I am currently reading A Geologist Speculates by John Saul.
And he points out in Chapter 1, that this odoriferous situation is not uncommon with colored stone deposits.

In many primary deposits, the host rocks can emit a strong, extremely unpleasant organic smell when mined or when trimmed!

The smell originates from microscopic fractures in the host rocks or inclusions within the gems themselves.
Examples of super stinks include but are not limited to:
Tanzanite
Green tsavorite from Kenya
Ruby from Kenya
Tourmaline from Brazil
Rubies from impure marbles in the Himalayas and Mogok Gem Tract in Burma.


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Fri May 22, 2015 12:46 pm 
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Icehut wrote:
Your specimen has most likely been oiled.

My thought as well...

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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Fri May 22, 2015 2:21 pm 
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Oh ok I guess that's why it smelled of oil then! I was not aware that specimens were sometimes oiled.


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 12:26 am 
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maialetto wrote:
Icehut wrote:
Your specimen has most likely been oiled.

My thought as well...


Oiled (filled) with what?


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 5:52 pm 
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Oiled with oil. WD-40, motor oil, Vaseline, whatever.

The Inuit used to finish their soapstone carvings by rubbing them with their hair, to darken the stone and improve the luster. Try it, it works.

There's a fair bit of alteration and fakery in the mineral collecting world. Not nearly as bad as the gem world, or the fossil world, but it's out there.

A good tipoff for an oiled specimen is that dust clings to it more than you'd expect, which is quite noticeable under low power magnification.


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 6:34 pm 
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I think it is sometimes used for transportation too. My brother and I picked a bunch of black tourmaline crystals out of a large drum, and they had all been covered in vaseline, probably to prevent them from shattering or rubbing against each other. It worked great, but they were a real pain to clean. Of course this would not apply to most specimens but it might be something to look out for.

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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:52 pm 
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And which one of these fillers would emit a toxic odor when cleaned? :|


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:11 pm 
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Not toxic per se, but I've had a couple eBay pieces ("jade" serpentine carvings that I got for kicks) come smelling pretty awful thanks to whatever oil they put on it (the seller admitted it was oiled).

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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:18 pm 
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The thing that I found odd, and I just smelled it again, is that it smells totally neutral normally. But when I scrub it with a brush that's when the smell unleashes its nastiness! And then the next day has no scent again.


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 Post subject: Re: Fluorite smell?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:24 pm 
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Humph....curious, no?


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