Albite is a mineral with a hardness of 6 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness [?]. These Triclinicly structured gems are made of sodium calcium aluminosilicate, their full chemical compound being (Na,Ca)AlSi3O8.

Albite is a member of the feldspar species as is predominantly a white or whitish mineral. A fine Albite gem will be colorless (mostly), or colored similar to moonstone.

Some of the better specimens have been found in upper North America including the United States and Canada

In 1815 Albite was given the Latin name albus which literally means white.

Albite astrological sign is that of Aquarius.

The specific gravity [?] for Albite is 2.64, it's refractive index [?] is 1.54-1.55, and it's double refraction [?] is 0.0009.

History

While Albite has surely been found and used for centuries, it was not scientifically cataloged until 1815.

Industrial Usages

Albite is ground finely and used to provide rigidity in modern ceramics.

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Tags

clearalbusalbiteceramicsaquariuswhitecolorlessfeldsparmoonstone

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.