Amazonite - Mineral & Healing Properties
Chemistry: KAlSi3 O8
Class: Silicates
Subclass: Tectosilicates
Uses: Uses for amazonite is to make gemstones for jewelry and for mineral collecting.
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Amazonite -
Amazonite Polished
Amazonite (sometimes called "Amazon stone") is a green variety of microcline feldspar. The name is taken from that of the Amazon River. Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence. Because of its bright green color when polished, amazonite is sometimes cut and used as a gemstone, although it is easily fractured. For many years, the source of amazonite's color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because copper compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of lead and water in the feldspar.
It displays a schiller of light which is caused by inclusions. Schiller is a lustrous reflection from planes in a mineral grain and is similar to what is more commonly known as iridescence. The schiller is caused by a feature of the stone's crystal structure. Orthoclase feldspar and albite are present in close association, arranged in layers. This causes an interference effect of light.
Origin Of The Name
The name is taken from that of the Amazon River, from which certain green stones were formerly obtained.
Interesting Facts
A semi-opaque stone that was used extensively by the Egyptians it is called the stone of courage and is said to be named after the Amazon women warriors. Some archaeological evidence suggests that the Amazonians were a matriarchal society during the Bronze Age.
Where Is It Found
Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence. Formerly it was obtained almost exclusively from the area of Miass in the Ilmensky Mountains, 50 miles southwest of Chelyabinsk, Russia, where it occurs in granitic rocks. More recently, high-quality crystals have been obtained from Pike's Peak, Colorado, where it is found associated with smoky quartz, orthoclase, and albite in a coarse granite or pegmatite. Crystals of amazonite can also be found in Crystal Park, El Paso County, Colorado. Other locations in the United States which yield amazonite include the Morefield Mine in Amelia, Virginia.[4] It is also found in pegmatite in Madagascar and in Brazil.
What Do We Do With It
It is used for making stones for jewelry, as a display specimen by collectors and for its healing properties.
Metaphysical Uses
Like waters deep and ancient, Amazonite beckons in captivating shades of turquoise-green, promising to soothe the spirit and calm the soul. Its energy is as powerful as the river for which it is named, and as bold as the legendary women warriors with whom it is connected, yet it tempers aggression, tames the irrational, and stills the disquiet. It provides harmony and balance.
Called the Stone of Courage and the Stone of Truth, Amazonite empowers one to search the self and discover one?s own truths and integrity, and to move beyond fear of judgment or confrontation with others to live in alignment with those beliefs and values. It provides the freedom to express one?s thoughts and feelings, and to set strong and clear boundaries, both internally as self-discipline, and externally on what one is willing to experience or in defining personal space.
As a metaphysical healer, Amazonite soothes the chakras and aligns the physical body to the etheric. It is particularly rejuvenating to the Heart and Throat Chakras, enhancing loving communication on all levels. It balances one?s masculine/feminine energies as well as many aspects of the personality.
Physical Characteristics
Color: Green, blue-green.
Luster: Vitreous.
Transparency: Translucent, Opaque.
Crystal System: Triclinic.
Crystal Habits: Prismatic.
Cleavage: 2,1 - basal ; 2,1 - prismatic ; 3,1 - pinacoidal.
Fracture: Uneven, Conchoidal.
Hardness: 6 - 6.5
Specific Gravity: 2.55 - 2.57
Streak: White
Associated Minerals: Quartz, muscovite and plagioclase feldspars.
Educational Videos
Finding Amazonite in Colorado, USA
