Azurite is a mineral with a hardness of 4 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness [?]. These Monoclinicly structured gems are made of copper hydroxycarbonate, their full chemical compound being Cu3(OH)2(CO3)2.

Azurite is a gorgeous stone that when polished into a sphere may look very much like the planet earth. It's blues, and greens look like oceans and forests.

It gets its name from the bluish color. The word azure means bluish purple in Old French and Middle English. In Spanish azul is blue.

This gem is usually only polished as it is very soft, and can not hold a facet well. (4 out of 10 on the Mohs scale)

Looking for Azurite? Check near current and previous copper deposits.

The specific gravity [?] for Azurite is 3.77, it's refractive index [?] is 1.73-1.84, and it's double refraction [?] is 0.11.

History

Azurite is used in jewelry, but has been used in the search for copper deposits. It's use as a die dates back hundreds maybe thousand of years.

Industrial Usages

Besides helping miners find copper, Azurite has and is also used in creating die. Large amount of the mineral are ground up into a fine powder for use in industry.

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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.