Bowenite
Bowenite has a light to dark apple green colour, often mottled with cloudy white patches and darker veining.
It is an especially hard Serpentine with Moh's hardness 5.5 and it is most frequently used in carving and jewellery.
Bowenite is sometimes used as a substitute of jade.
Bowenite found in South Korea has uniform semi-transparent deep green colour with numerous fine, opaque black magnetite inclusions. It is also known as Booyo precious serpentine.
It is an especially hard Serpentine with Moh's hardness 5.5 and it is most frequently used in carving and jewellery.
Bowenite is sometimes used as a substitute of jade.
Bowenite found in South Korea has uniform semi-transparent deep green colour with numerous fine, opaque black magnetite inclusions. It is also known as Booyo precious serpentine.
| General Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A variety or type of: | Antigorite, which is a variety of Serpentine | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chemical Formula |
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| Bowenite Treatments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| May be dyed: acetone test. Dyed intense green - chelsea: reddish - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Physical Properties of Bowenite | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mohs Hardness | 5 to 5.5, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Specific Gravity | 2.58 to 2.80, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Tenacity | Sectile, Management Team (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleavage Quality | Perfect, Management Team (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fracture | Uneven,Irregular,Splintery, Management Team (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Optical Properties of Bowenite | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Refractive Index | 1.530 to 1.575, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Colour | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colour (General) | Oily green to bluish green. Common whitish cloudy patches, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Transparency | Translucent, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lustre | Waxy,Silky,Resinous,Greasy,Dull (Earthy), Management Team (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Crystallography of Bowenite | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crystal System | Monoclinic, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Inclusions in Bowenite | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| May show typical greenish sparkling inclusions (chlorite) - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Further Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mineral information: | Bowenite information at mindat.org | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Significant Gem Localities | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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