Brazilianite
Encyclopedia
Brazilianite, whose name derives from its country of origin, Brazil, is a typically yellow-green phosphate
mineral
, most commonly found in phosphate-rich pegmatite
s. It is a much sought after precious stone, usually ground into facet cuts, and it is a very popular item with collectors.
It occurs in the form of perfect crystal
s grouped in druses, in pegmatite
s, and is often of precious-stone quality. The only noted deposit of brazilianite is in the surroundings of Conselheiro Pena
, in the state of Minas Gerais
in Brazil
. During the past few years this deposit has yielded a great quantity of beautiful raw material, which has included crystals of surprisingly large dimensions and perfectly bounded crystal faces.
Some of these are found on leaves of muscovite
with their strong silvery glitter, ingrown in their parent rock. Such specimens are not ground, but find their way into museums and private collections. The most exquisite crystals, dark greenish-yellow to olive-green, sometimes measure up to 12 cm in length and 8 cm in width. Crystals of similar shape and dimensions have discovered in another deposit in Minas Gerais, near Mantena
, but they lack the perfection of the crystal bounding. Brazilianites have also been discovered in many large collections; they originated from the Palermo mine and the Charles Davis mine in Grafton County
, New Hampshire
, USA.
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
, most commonly found in phosphate-rich pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
s. It is a much sought after precious stone, usually ground into facet cuts, and it is a very popular item with collectors.
It occurs in the form of perfect crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s grouped in druses, in pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
s, and is often of precious-stone quality. The only noted deposit of brazilianite is in the surroundings of Conselheiro Pena
Conselheiro Pena
Conselheiro Pena, formerly known as "Lajao", is located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This town of 20,000 inhabitants, was formed alongside the "Rio Doce", or Sweet River....
, in the state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. During the past few years this deposit has yielded a great quantity of beautiful raw material, which has included crystals of surprisingly large dimensions and perfectly bounded crystal faces.
Some of these are found on leaves of muscovite
Muscovite
Muscovite is a phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl22, or 236. It has a highly-perfect basal cleavage yielding remarkably-thin laminæ which are often highly elastic...
with their strong silvery glitter, ingrown in their parent rock. Such specimens are not ground, but find their way into museums and private collections. The most exquisite crystals, dark greenish-yellow to olive-green, sometimes measure up to 12 cm in length and 8 cm in width. Crystals of similar shape and dimensions have discovered in another deposit in Minas Gerais, near Mantena
Mantena
Mantena is a Norwegian rolling stock maintenance company owned by Norges Statsbaner . It has workshops at Grorud and Lodalen in Oslo, Marienborg in Trondheim as well as in Skien and Drammen. In addition to NSB, customers include CargoNet, Kollektivtransportproduksjon, Ofotbanen, Green Cargo, Hector...
, but they lack the perfection of the crystal bounding. Brazilianites have also been discovered in many large collections; they originated from the Palermo mine and the Charles Davis mine in Grafton County
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, USA.