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Cyprine  (Cupreous Vesuvianite)
Current inventory:  1 gem
 

Chemistry:  Ca₁₉(Al,Mg)₁₃Si₁₈O₃₄(OH,O,F)₁₀ + Cu

Discovered in 1820 ;   IMA status: Not Valid. (Vesuvianite is valid; Grandfathered)
Cyprine was first described by Berzelius in 1820 from specimens found at Kleppan, Sauland, Telemark, Norway. I was unable to find the origin of the name Cyprine. Vesuvianite is named after its discovery locality, Mount Vesuvius, Campania, Italy.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/C.26-10

8 : Silicates
C : Sorosilicates, with [Si2O7]6-, without anions unfamiliar to tetraheders
26 : Vesuvianite series

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Tetragonal - Dipyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Vesuvianite: As short pyramidal to long prismatic crystals, to 15 cm, morphologically complex, with up to 30 forms reported on one crystal; columnar, granular, massive.

Twinning:

Vesuvianite: Twinned domains observed at a very fine scale.

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[110] Indistinct, [100] Indistinct, [001] Indistinct

Fracture:

Subconchoidal to Irregular

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

6.5 - 7.0

Density:

3.32 - 3.43 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Blue, Grayish Blue

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent, Opaque

Luster:

Vitreous to Resinous

Refractive Index:

1.700 - 1.752  Uniaxial ( - ); Uniaxial ( + ) and Biaxial examples are common

Birefringence:

0.0030 - 0.0060

Dispersion:

Relatively Strong

Pleochroism:

Weak

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Vesuvianite: In skarns formed during contact or regional metamorphism of limestones; in garnetized gabbros, mafic and ultramafic rocks, and serpentinites; uncommon in alkalic igneous rocks.

Type Locality:

Kleppan, Sauland, Telemark, Norway

Year Discovered:

1820

View mineral photos:

Cyprine Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org  (Cyprine)
Mindat.org  (Vesuvianite)
Webmineral.com  (Vesuvianite)

Cyprine is the very rare blue variety of Vesuvianite, also known as Cupreous Vesuvianite or Cupreous Idocrase because it is colored blue by the presence of Copper.

The only known sources of Cyprine are Kleppan, Sauland, Hjartdal, Telemark, Norway; Jacoksberg Mine, Nordmark, Filipstad, Sweden; Franklin Mine, Franklin Mining District, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA and a relatively new find in Pakistan. Only material from Norway, Sweden and Pakistan are suitable for faceting and gems are usually small and included.
 

  
Cyprine gems for sale: