Click on a letter above to view the list of gems.  

Sapphirine
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  Mg₆Al_6.5Si_1.5O₂₀(+Fe)  [Magnesium Aluminum Silicate]

Discovered in 1819;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Sapphirine is not related to Sapphire but named for its typical Sapphire-like blue color.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/F.15-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9/DH.45

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
H : Inosilicates with 4-periodic single chains, Si₄O₁₂

Related to:

Aenigmatite Group. Sapphirine - Surinamite Series

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic or Triclinic - Pinacoidal

Crystal Habit:

Crystals indistinct, tabular, to 3 cm. Commonly as disseminated grains or aggregates.

Twinning:

Repeated on [010]; uncommon. Polysynthetic twinning on one, or possibly two, laws is observed in polished sections when 1A polytype is present.

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[010] Fair, [001] Poor, [100] Poor

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven to Sub-Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

7.5

Density:

3.40 - 3.58 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Light to dark Blue, Bluish Gray, Greenish Gray, Green, White, pale Red, Yellow

Transparency:

Transparent

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.701 - 1.734  Biaxial ( + ) or ( - )

Birefringence:

0.0060

Dispersion:

Moderate to Very Strong; r < v

Pleochroism:

Visible; X = colorless, pale reddish, yellowish green, pale yellow; Y = sky-blue, lavender-blue, bluish green; Z = blue, sapphire-blue, dark blue

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In high-temperature metamorphic rocks or xenoliths with abundant aluminum and magnesium and low silicon. May occur as a primary magmatic mineral in subsilicic rocks.

Common Associations:

Calcite, Cordierite, Corundum, Chrysoberyl, Garnet, Kornerupine, Kyanite, Phlogopite, Pyroxenes, Quartz, Sillimanite, Spinel, Surinamite

Type Locality:

Fiskenaes old harbour, Fiskenaes (Fiskenaesset; Qeqertarsuatsiaat), Nuuk (Godthåb), Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland

Year Discovered:

1819

View mineral photos:

Saphirine Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Sapphirine is not related to Sapphire but named for its color similarity to blue Sapphire. Despite being named for its blue color, Sapphirine is available in other colors including green, rarely purplish pink and of course, pale blue. Sapphirine is a very rare gemstone and gems are usually very small. The crystals are usually found as small, transparent grains.

There are only a few localities for fine, gemmy crystals including Sakena, Vorokafotra, Bekily, Anjamiary, and Betroka regions, Madagascar; Blinkwater, near Messina, Transvaal, South Africa; Kollonne village, Sri Lanka; and Mautia Hill, Tanzania.
 

  
Sapphirine gems for sale:

We have not photographed our Sapphirine gems yet.  Please check back soon!