Axinite is a mineral with a hardness of 7 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness [?]. These Triclinicly structured gems are made of complex borosilicate, their full chemical compound being CaFeMgBal2Si4O15(OH).

Axinite is a honey brownish to dark brown gem that is named after the axe head like crystal structures that are usually found. It is usually found in and around granite deposits, and is often mistaken (and sometimes sold by mistake) as smokey quartz.

The gem is piezoelectric and because of this has been used to remove hair and lint from unwanted objects. A negative side effect of this is that it will also gather up dust sitting on your shelf much faster than the other objects.

Axinite has been regularly mined in the United States (California and New Jersey), Brazil, England, Mexico, France, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka.

Quality non included properly cut axinite can sell for $100 a carat or more, most specimens however do not sell for this much.

Colors vary but are for the most part brown with a hint of purple or violet, and sometimes even hints of blue.

The specific gravity [?] for Axinite is 3.28, it's refractive index [?] is 1.67-1.70, and it's double refraction [?] is 0.011.

History

We currently have no historical information in regards to Axinite.

Industrial Usages

We currently have no industrial information in regards to Axinite.

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Terms

Double Refraction or dr is the ability of a mineral to separate a refracted ray of light into 2 rays. If held over an image or text it will display the object 2x its original size.

Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness is the standard used to categorize a mineral's ability to resist scratching. It gets its name from Friedrich Mohs, the German geologist who first created the scale.

RI or Refractive Index defines light's ability to move through the mineral or in a general sense, any material.

SG or Specific Gravity is the ratio of the weight of any substance to that of pure water at temperature of 3.98°C(39.2°F) and standard atmospheric pressure. This is important to note when actively seeking these minerals in the wild. Minerals with a higher SG will settle below material with a lower sg over time.