Barite
From The Gemology Project
Barite (Baryte) | |
---|---|
Chemical composition | BaSO4 |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
Habit | Tabular parallel to base, fibrous, nodular to massive |
Cleavage | Perfect cleavage parallel to base and prism faces: {001} Perfect, {210} Perfect, {010} Imperfect |
Fracture | Irregular/uneven |
Hardness | 3-3.5 |
Optic nature | biaxial + |
Refractive index | nα = 1.634–1.637 nβ = 1.636–1.638 nγ = 1.646–1.648 |
Birefringence | 0.012 |
Specific gravity | 4.3–5 |
Lustre | Vitreous to pearly |
Diagnostic Features | High specific gravity, characteristic cleavage and crystals |
Barite, or Baryte (BaSO4) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate. It is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of barium.
It is rarely used in jewelry because of it's relative softness but can be seen in esoteric gem collections as a rare curiosity.