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Identity HelpRock ID Help green boytryodial specimen

7th Jun 2018 11:36 UTCMelissa Meaux

Hello. This stone i found is from an old stock collection i dug up in the backyard. it scratched my quartz. Was hoping someone has seen something like this before. Thank you.

7th Jun 2018 15:35 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

My first thought was chrysoprase, a variety of chalcedony.

7th Jun 2018 16:21 UTCMelissa Meaux

Mine was jade until I did a hardness test then I thought chyroprase. But isn't chyroprase hardness 7?

7th Jun 2018 21:01 UTCIan Nicastro

The texturing on the outside I associate with Chrysoprase

7th Jun 2018 21:05 UTCMelissa Meaux

Ok thank you Ian .

6th Jul 2018 04:25 UTCMelissa Meaux

here a pic of a slice backlit if yall interested in seeing. i never seen dark green and yellow chrysoprase

6th Jul 2018 05:36 UTCMelissa Meaux

hello, what is the outer crust called Ian?

8th Jul 2018 19:41 UTCIan Nicastro

I'm not really sure what this specimen is or where it is from, after you presented the sliced photos. In particular the presence of the yellow coloring with the green, and the particular shade of green present is really throwing me off. I still believe that what you have is almost certainly not either variety of jade. I also suspect what you have would not qualify as Chrysoprase (which is basically Chalcedony colored by impurities of Nickle containing minerals and is usually a bright green), as the color is off... I think you have some sort of Chalcedony colored by impurities of multiple types of minerals, but it does seem natural. There is a possibility that what you have is a mixture of multiple minerals overall and is not just Chalcedony. The outer crust doesn't have it's own name... it's still part of whatever this specimen is. The bubbly shape of the outer crust is referred to as a boytryodial habit. You would have to pay to have this tested or bring it to experts near you at a local mineral society or museum, there is little more we can do by photos alone.

8th Jul 2018 19:52 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

I agree with those before me who called it chrysoprase. Usually colored by nickel minerals, but chromium and iron minerals can play a part too, giving different color shades. As for the hardness, two minerals of the same hardness can scratch each other, so the fact that it scratched your quartz doesn't necessarily mean that the hardness is more than 7 (apart from the fact that hardness tests by scratching are very often unreliable for one reason or another). Nice piece, Melissa; I like the surface texture... Don't grind it all away ;))

8th Jul 2018 23:30 UTCMelissa Meaux

Thank you Ian and Alfredo! Appreciate the info you have given me. The colors threw me off as well. Thanks again.

9th Jul 2018 16:55 UTCDaniel Bennett

I agree its quartz. prase could be a better title then chrysoprase. the backlite picture shows dark and light zones likely caused by tiny amphibole fibers in varying densities incased in quartz.(I think chrysoprase color is generally more uniformly saturated) the boytryodial look does suggest chalcedony although sometimes amphibole fibers can cause deformed macro crystals of quartz that can look rounded and bumpy but probably not so bubbly. I wonder where it came from.

9th Jul 2018 20:57 UTCMelissa Meaux

Daniel,

Thank you for your input. I think prase too is the better term to use. When I think chyroprase I think of a apple green color. I am also curious where its from. It annoying that there are no labels.

Thank you

Melissa

9th Jul 2018 21:12 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Although according to current definition, "prase" has morphed into a rather wishy-washy name that doesn't really mean much.

See: https://www.mindat.org/min-6703.html

10th Jul 2018 04:34 UTCMelissa Meaux

Lol. Ill just say its green botryodial chacedony with yellow ....ummm moss ? Lol thank you.

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