| Mineral
|
Name Derived from |
| Abalone/Paua Shell |
Entered American English about 1850 from the
Spanish abulon which itself came from the Costanoan (a California coastal
Indian language) aluan, meaning "red abalone".
|
| Adamite |
Named after the French mineralogist Gilbert Joseph
Adam (1795-1881) who first discovered this mineral.
|
| Agate |
Named from where it was first found - by the River Achates (now called the river Drillo) in Sicily.
|
| Albite |
Named from the Latin, albus, in reference to the
most common colour in which this mineral is found, i.e. white.
|
| Alexandrite |
Named in honour of Czar Alexander II (1818-1881) of Russia.
|
| Almandine Garnets |
A corruption of the place name from where they
were originally found, in Alabanda, Turkey.
|
| Amazonite |
Named from where it was originally found, at a site by the side of the Amazon River in South America.
|
| Amber |
From the French word ambre taken from the Medieval Latin ambar which in itself came from the Arabic word anbar meaning "ambergris". Presumably because of Amber's similarity to Ambergris.
|
| Amblygonite |
Amblygonite's name comes from the two Greek words
amblys meaning "blunt" and goni meaning "angle" - hence "blunt angles" in
allusion to its variously angled cleavages. (Cleavage refers to the specific
way that a mineral will split, or cleave, when struck by a sharp blow).
Amblygonite has no less than four different directions of cleavage at
different angles from one another and with different qualities of cleavage.
This distinguishes it from Scapolite for which it was originally mistaken.
|
| Amethyst |
From the ancient Greek amethystos meaning "not drunken" as being in possession of a piece of Amethyst was thought to prevent drunkenness.
|
| Ametrine |
A made up name to reflect the fact that this
stone is half Amethyst and half Citrine.
|
| Angelite |
Named from it's "Angelic" colouring.
|
| Anhydrite |
Anhydrite is Gypsum without the inclusion of H2O,
water.
The name is from the Greek anhydros, meaning "waterless", in contrast to
Gypsum, which does contains water.
|
| Annabergite |
Named after the town of Annaberg, in Saxony,
Germany, where this mineral was first discovered.
|
| Apache Tears |
A variety of Obsidian (see further down this list) so called because it is believed that these semi-transparent stones are tears cried by Apache women for their men folk lost in battle and for their lost lands taken away from them by the white man.
|
| Apatite |
In past times Apatite was often confused with
other minerals (notably Calcite and Beryl) and it was not until 1786 that it
was recognised in its own right when it was given the name Apatite from the
Greek apatao meaning "I delude" or "I am misleading".
|
| Apophyllite |
From the Greek apophylliso meaning "it flakes
off" alluding to the way that the points of Apophylite easily break off.
|
| Aqua Aura Quartz |
Aqua Aura is Quartz that has undergone a
laboratory treatment to enhance the colour of the natural crystal.
The process involves placing the Quartz into a vacuum chamber and reducing
the pressure to 2 earth atmospheres. The temperature in the vacuum is then
raised to between 800 - 1600 degrees Fahrenheit over a period of some 12
hours, then letting pure Gold particles into the vacuum chamber whilst
putting an electric charge through the Quartz. This bonds the Gold to the
outside surface of the Quartz and gives it an iridescent electric blue
colour.
This process is known as Chemical Vapour Deposition or CVD and, although
known about for many years, the using of this process specifically on
gemstones and decorative articles was granted a United States patent No
6997014 in 2006 to it's inventors Steven F. Starcke, Ronald H. Kearnes and
Keven E. Bennet, and is held by Vision Industries.
Aqua, because the resulting colour is blue, and Aura, because the Gold
deposited on the Quartz forms a cover or sheath or Aura around the crystal
being treated.
|
| Aquamarine |
From the Latin aqua marina meaning "water of the sea" or more simply, "seawater" alluding to its pale bluish-green colouring.
|
| Aragonite |
Named from where it was first identified, the region of Aragon in Spain.
|
| Astrophyllite |
From the Greek aster or astro meaning "star" and
fyllon meaning "leaf". Both of these allude to the star like or leaf like
sprays that are characteristic of the way that Astrophyllite forms.
|
| Atacamite |
Named from where it was originally mined, in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
|
| Atlantisite |
"Atlantisite" is a trade name registered and
owned by The Crystal Universe Pty, Melbourne, Australia in respect of a type
of green serpentine and pink to purple stichtite mix of minerals. The actual
name "Alantisite" was invented by Gerald Pauley, an officer of the company.
|
| Aventurine |
From the old Italian word avventurina given to this mineral. This word was itself from the Italian avventura meaning "by chance" as this mineral was often found by accident.
|
| Azeztulite |
Naisha Ahsian named this stone
after she had been channeling information from a group of
extraterrestrial interdimensional beings called The Azez who told her that
they had engineered this stone to anchor the "Nameless Light" here on Earth.
In her subsequent work with Robert Simmons and his wife Kathy Warner -
owners of Heaven and Earth Publishers - this stone was successfully bought
to the public's attention in 1991.
|
| Azurite |
From the Persian lazhward, meaning "blue".
|
| Barite |
From the ancient Greek barys meaning "heavy" or "dense".
|
| Beryl |
The actual word Beryl possibly derives from the
Greek beryllos which referred to any number of blue-green stones in
antiquity. It may even have meant "a precious blue/green stone the colour of
sea-water"
Beryl itself however, is not a type of stone but rather a family of stones.
Goshenite = Clear Beryl
Aquamarine = Blue Beryl
Morganite = Pink Beryl
Emerald = Green Beryl
Heliodor = Golden Beryl
|
| Bloodstone |
Sometimes also called Heliotrope. Grinding up this stone and applying it to wounds was said to staunch the flow of blood, hence the name.
|
| Blue John |
Named from a corruption of the French, Bleu et
Jaune, meaning "Blue and Yellow" alluding to the most common colours of this
mineral.
|
| Bronzite |
Bronzite with Magnesium, Silicon & Oxygen is
technically called Hypersthene from the Greek hyper meaning "above"
or "over" and stenos meaning "power". This is an allusion to its greater
hardness than the mineral hornblende, a mineral with which it is often
confused.
Bronzite with Iron also included is technically called Enstatite from the
Greek enstates meaning "opponent" as this mineral has a very high melting
point and it is therefore an "opponent" to heat.
|
| Bytownite |
Named after the location where it was first
discovered, Bytown in Canada. Bytown is now, in modern times, known as
Ottawa.
|
| Calcite |
From the Latin calx meaning "lime".
|
| Carnelian |
Sometimes spelt as Cornelian, this word comes from the Old French Corneline which is of unknown origin. However, the alternative spelling Carnelian probably owes its "Car" beginning to the Latin word carneus meaning "flesh coloured".
|
| Cavansite |
Named after its composition of Calcium, Vanadium,
and Silicon. i.e. as a contraction of those three words CA/VAN/SI - ite
|
| Celestite |
From the Latin caelestis meaning "heavenly" probably due to it's faint or pale blue colour resembling the sky.
|
| Chalcedony |
Named after the ancient maritime city of "Chalcedon" (sometimes spelt "Calchedon") in the region of Bithynia by the Sea of Marmara in modern day Turkey.
|
| Chalcopyrite |
From the ancient Greek chalcos meaning "copper" plus the fact that the mineral is similar to pyrite.
|
| Charoite |
Named for the impression that it gives. Chary in Russian means "charms" or "magic". NB It is not named from the Chara River, which, although in Russia, is actually over 70 km away from the area in which Charoite is found.
|
| Chiastolite |
Chi is the Greek letter that looks like an "X"
therefore the stone was named for this fact due to the Carbon inclusions in
the mineral that produce a distinctive X in the crystal.
|
| Chrysanthemum Stone |
Named after the sprays of Celestite on the Black
Limestone which look like Chrysanthemum flowers.
|
| Chrysocolla |
Derived from the two ancient Greek words, chrysos meaning "gold" and kolla meaning "glue" in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold.
|
| Chrysoprase |
From the ancient Greek chrysos meaning "golden" or "yellow" plus also the ancient Greek prason meaning "leek" alluding to the colour green.
|
| Citrine |
This is either taken from the Latin citrus or the old French citron both of which mean "lemon" in reference to its yellow colour.
|
| Conichalcite |
From the Greek konis or konia meaning "powder"
and chalx or chalkos meaning "lime" or "copper" and referring to the way the
mineral is deposited, usually as a lime green powdery coating.
|
| Copper |
From the Greek, Kyprios, the Greek name for the island of Cyprus, that once produced this metal.
|
| Covellite |
Named after the Italian mineralogist Niccolo
Covelli (1790-1829) who first discovered this mineral on the slopes of Mount
Vesuvius.
|
| Creedite |
Named after the location in which it was first
discovered in 1916, The Wagon Wheel Gap, Creedite Quadrangle, Mineral
County, Colorado, USA.
|
| Crocoite |
From the Greek krokos, meaning "crocus" or
"saffron" and alluding to its deep red colouration.
|
| Dalmatian Jasper |
Named from the way it looks like a spotted
Dalmatian dog. See Jasper also.
|
| Danburite |
Named from the locality at which it was first found, i.e. Danbury, Connecticut.
|
| Desert Rose |
Actually a type of Gypsum, the name is taken from
the way that the wind blows across the surface of this mineral as it is
forming and "cuts" it into a seemingly rose like shape.
|
| Dianite |
Dianite was discovered in the Murran Mountains,
Yakutia, in Siberia, Russia in 1997, the same year that Diana, Princess of
Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris. The stone was named in her honour.
|
| Diopside |
Derived from
the Greek words dis meaning "double" and then possibly either opsis meaning
"appearance" or opse meaning "face" in reference to the fact that there are
two ways to orientate the prism zone of Diopside.
|
| Dioptase |
Derived from the two Greek words, dia meaning "through" and optomai meaning "vision".
|
| Dolomite |
Named in honour of the French mineralogist and
geologist, Dieudonnč Sylvain Guy Tancrede de Gratet de Dolomieu (1750-1801)
although he later changed his first name to Deodat. The part of the Alps
where he made his discovery are today still called The Dolomites.
|
| Dumortierite |
Discovered in 1881 by the French mineralogist,
M.F. Gonnard, who named it after the noted French Palaeontologist, Eugene
Dumortier (1803-1873).
|
| Emerald |
From the Latin smaragdus and the Greek smaragdos both meaning "Emerald". Probably both are words of Jewish origin and was an ancient name applied to any number of green minerals.
|
| Epidote |
From the Greek word epidosis meaning "addition"
or "increase". This alludes to the fact that one side of its crystal
formation is noticeably longer than the other sides.
|
| Fluorite |
Named after its composition containing fluorine and from the Latin, fluere meaning "to flow" as it has a very low melting point.
|
| Eudialyte |
Eudialyte was first discovered in 1819 by
Frederich Stromeyer (1776 -1835), Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacy at
Göttingen University, who named it after the two Greek words eu meaning
"well" and dialytos meaning "decomposable". This refers to the fact that
Eudialyte is "well decomposable" in acids, where it dissolves completely.
|
| Fuchsite |
Named after Professor Johann Nepomucene Fuchs,
(also known as Johann Nepomuk Von Fuchs) a German mineralogist and chemist
who as born at Mattenzell in 1774 and who died in Munich in 1856 where he
was a professor at Munich University. He was also a member of the Academy of
Sciences of Munich and the curator of it's mineralogical collections.
|
| Galena |
From the Latin galena meaning "lead ore" or the
dross that remains after melting lead. The name was also used by the Roman
naturalist, Pliny.
|
| Garnet |
Derivation unclear but possibly either from the Latin granatum meaning "a pomegranate" as it resembles the red seeds found in a pomegranate, - or from the Latin granatus meaning "like a grain" as garnet resembles seeds or grains when seen embedded in it's natural matrix.
|
| Gold |
Name derivation is of uncertain origin, but most
probably from the Anglo-Saxon gold meaning something like "to shine" or "to
be yellow". Possibly from the Latin aurum meaning "yellow metal"
|
| Golden Beryl |
A Golden/Yellow variety of Beryl (see Beryl)
named for its colour. Heliodor is the name used for gem-quality Golden
Beryl. The word Heliodor was originally applied as a
trade name for Golden Beryl mined from the Rössing mine in Namibia,
however, the name is now in common use for any gem-quality Golden Beryl
mined worldwide.
|
| Golden Labradorite |
A marketing name for a Feldspar mineral whose
true mineralogical name is Bytownite.
|
| Goldstone |
A man-made stone named with reference to its
colour.
|
| Hematite |
From the Greek haimatites meaning "blood like" alluding to its rusty red colour.
|
| Hemimorphite |
Named after the nature of the crystals which grow
with a termination at each end, the "top" being pointed and the "bottom"
being rounded. Hemi means "half" and morph means "shape" in recognition of
the fact that each half has a different shape.
|
| Herkimer Diamond
| Double Terminated Quartz points grown in soft mud and originally discovered in the town of Herkimer, New York State.
|
| Heulandite |
Named after John Henry Heuland (1778-1856), an English mineral collector.
|
| Hiddenite |
Named after A.E. Hidden, a mine owner and the first person to observe this mineral.
|
| Howlite |
Named after Henry How (1828-1879), a Canadian chemist and the first observer of this particular mineral.
|
| Idocrase |
The alternative name for Vesuvianite (see below)
named from the Greek word krasis meaning "mixture" which is an allusion to
its crystals that show a mixture of other mineral types.
|
| Iolite |
From the Greek ios meaning "Violet" alluding to its colour.
|
| Jade
| From a Spanish term piedra de yjada meaning "stone of the side" since the stone was supposed to cure kidney problems that were causing pain in ones side.
|
| Jasper |
Origin unknown but thought to be traceable back to the Latin iaspis, and the Assyrian ashpu.
|
| Jet |
From the old French jaiet which in itself came from the Latin word gagates which in turn derived from the ancient Greek lithos Gagates meaning "a stone from the town of Gagai" Gagai was a town in Lycia, in Asia Minor.
|
| Kalahari Picture
Stone |
Named from where it is found, the Kalahari Desert
region, which extends into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and from what
it looks like - you can see "pictures" in the patterns on the stone.
|
| Kambaba Jasper |
no information available on the origin of this
stones name. |
| Kunzite |
Named after G.F. Kunz, the American mineralogist.
|
| Kyanite |
From the Greek kyanos meaning "dark blue" reflecting the colour of this mineral.
|
| Labradorite |
Originally, this mineral was first mined on the Isle of Paul, in Labrador, Canada, about 1770.
|
| Lapis Lazuli |
From the Latin lapis meaning "a stone" and the Persian lazhward meaning "a blue colour".
|
| Larimar |
This name was made
up by Miguel Méndez, a resident of the Dominican Republic (where Larimar is
found) by combining his daughters name LARIssa, with MAR, the Spanish word
for the sea. The stone of course being a sea blue colour.
|
| Larvikite |
Takes it name from where it was first discovered
i.e. the Larvik or Laurvik Fjord region which is on the Skagerrak,
approximately 100 km south of Oslo, in Southern Norway. It was first
discovered by Waldemar Christofer Brögger (1851-1940), who was the Professor
of Petrology at the University of Oslo.
|
| Lemurian Jade |
A made-up name used by metaphysical practitioners
to identify a type of Black Jade with inclusions of Iron Pryites, Quartz and
other minerals mined in Peru.
|
| Leopardskin Rhyolite
| Takes its name from the pattern on the surface of the mineral which resembles that of a leopard.
|
| Lepidolite |
From the ancient Greek lepis meaning "scale" and lithos meaning "a stone". These terms allude to it's structure.
|
| Magnesite |
Named from its chemical composition - it contains
a lot of Magnesium.
|
| Malachite |
From the Greek, malache, meaning "mallow" (i.e. the plant) in reference to the green colour of the mallow's leaves.
|
| Mariposite |
Takes its name from the location where it was
discovered, Mariposa County, California, USA
|
| Merlinite |
A lot of confusion surrounds the name of this
stone. Merlinite is actually a completely made-up name for Dendritic Opal.
Sometimes the name is also applied to Dendritic Agate, and other times to
the druzy form of a black mineral called Psilomelane. The name Merlinite was
probably used as the "real" names do not easily roll off the tongue and the
word "Merlinite" conjures up magical and mystical times past. In the USA,
"Day and Night Stone" is sometimes used in place of Merlinite.
|
| Moldavite |
Named from where it is found. About 12 - 13 Million years ago a meteorite struck our planet Earth in Moldavia, which is in present day Czechoslovakia.
|
| Mookaite |
Named from where is was first found - in
outcrops, principally on Mooka Station (a sheep farm of around 700,000
acres) on the west side of the Kennedy Range in Western Australia.
|
| Moonstone |
So named because its translucent white colour resembles the colour of the moon in the night sky.
|
| Morganite |
Discovered in Madagascar in 1908 by George
Frederick Kunz, but named by him as Morganite in honour of his financier and
benefactor, John Pierpoint Morgan, the noted American banker and gem collector.
|
| Mother of Pearl |
Usually abbreviated to MOP and sometimes referred
to as Nacre, it takes its name from the fact that it is the lining of the
shell in which a Pearl grows - and hence, is the "Mother of the Pearl".
|
| Nebula Stone |
Nebula Stones dark green, almost black
background, resembles the night sky while the lighter green radiating and
circular areas remind us of galaxies, stars and nebulae - from which it
takes its name. It was only recently discovered in 1996 by Ron and Karen
Nurnberg
|
| Nephrite |
From the Latin lapis nephriticus meaning "kidney stone" since it was often worn to remedy diseases of the kidneys.
|
| Obsidian |
From the Latin obsidianus which is allegedly an incorrect translation of the ancient Greek obsianus lapis meaning "stone of Obsius". Obsius was an ancient Greek person who discovered a stone similar to Obsidian.
|
| Onyx |
From the Greek word onyx which means "a claw" or "a hoof" or "a fingernail". These terms allude to the colour of Onyx.
|
| Opal |
From the ancient Sanskrit word upala meaning "a stone" or "a precious stone".
|
| Paua Shell |
see Abalone
|
| Pearls |
The word Pearl was first used in England in the
1300's and came to us from France, where in turn, it originated from Italy.
In old colloquial Latin there was a word Perna which could mean either
"a ham" as in a leg of ham, or "a seashell". The word Pernula referred to "a
little ham" or "a little shell" but was often used to refer to "the little
mollusc whose feet resemble hams in shape”.
|
| Peridot |
From the old French péridot of unknown origin.
|
| Peruvian Serpentine |
A type of pale yellow Serpentine named from where
it is mined. |
| Petalite |
From the Greek petalon meaning "leaf" alluding to
the way the crystal grows.
|
| Picasso Stone |
A type of marble with wild patterns, as abstract
as anything ever painted by the artist Pablo Picasso - hence the name.
|
| Pietersite |
Named after Sid Pieters, who first discovered it in Namibia.
|
| Prehnite |
Named after the Dutch Colonel, H. Von Prehn (1733-1785).
|
| Purpurite |
The name alludes to the colour of the mineral
which is a lovely rich regal purple.
|
| Pyrite |
From the ancient Greek pyrites meaning "flint" or "millstone from Pyros" (Pyros was a place of fire) since it gives off sparks when struck.
|
| Pyromorphite |
Named in 1813 from the Greek pyr meaning "fire"
and morfe meaning "form", because after being melted into a globule a sample
will begin to take on a crystalline shape during cooling.
|
| Quantum Quattro |
A mix of Shattuckite, Chrysocolla, Dioptase and
Malachite all present in Smokey Quartz. As there are 4 minerals present in a
base, the name is in some way derived from this fact !
|
| Quartz |
From the Saxon word querkluftertz meaning "a cross vein ore". Later condensed to querertz.
|
| Rainforest Rhyolite | Takes its name from the
colours of the mineral which remind one of the greens and browns found in a
tropical rainforest.
|
| Rhodochrosite
| From the ancient Greek rhodochros meaning "rose coloured" because of its colour.
|
| Rhodonite |
From the ancient Greek rhodon meaning "a rose" alluding to its colour.
|
| Ruby |
From the Latin rubeus meaning "red" and alluding to its colour.
|
| Rutile |
A French corruption from the original Latin rutilus meaning "red" because of its colour.
|
| Sapphire |
An ancient name of uncertain origin. It possibly derives from the Hebrew word sappir or the Sanskrit word sanipruja.
|
| Sardonyx |
In the Middle Ages, Sard was the old word for Carnelian. This stone is alternate layers of Carnelian and Onyx.
|
| Satyaloka Quartz |
Named from where
these stones are reputedly collected, i.e. in the grounds of, and in the
area surrounding, the Satyaloka Monastery in Southern India.
It is often said that the
monks there believe that this stone carries the energy of their own
spiritual enlightenment as well as the pure spiritual energies which
permeate the mountains and the area surrounding the monastery. However, our
latest understanding is that the monastery itself has been closed for many
years now and the monks who lived there, and the retreats and workshops that
used to be run there, have now relocated to "The Golden City" in Southern
India and operate as "The Golden Age Foundation" in conjunction with "The
Oneness University"
|
| Schalenblende |
Named from the
German and meaning "shell ore" in allusion to its concentric-layered
structure rather like a shell. Schalenblende is actually a mix of four
separate minerals, namely, Sphalerite, Wurtzite, Pyrite and Galena.
|
| Selenite |
From the Greek
selenites meaning "moon" since the stone has a pearly lustre and moon-like
white reflections.
|
| Seraphinite (Clinochlore)
| From the Greek klino meaning "oblique" and chloros meaning "green" both referring to the pattern and colour of this mineral. Seraphinite is a modern name alluding to the fact that specimen pieces resemble the wing patterns of angels, cherubims and seraphims.
|
| Serpentine |
Two possible
explanations here.
1) Serpentine means serpent-like, i.e. snake-like, and it has long been
thought that anyone who carries anything made from Serpentine had protection
from snake bites.
2)It could be that the mottled colours and patterns on some types of
Serpentine resemble the skin of some types of snakes.
|
| Shamanic Dream
Stones |
These are Quartz pebbles with inclusions of other
many and varied minerals. As you look into each one, it is possible to
envisage a whole world within each stone. Shamans throughout history and in
many cultures around the world, have long been thought to travel into other
worlds to find solutions to illnesses, disease and problems besetting their
people. These stones look as though they could facilitate such Shamanic
travel.
|
| Shattuckite |
Named from where it was first found, i.e. the Shattuck
mine, Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA. Until around
2003/2004, this was the ONLY mine in the world producing this mineral.
|
| Smithsonite |
Named after James Smithson (1765-1829), the
English mineralogist who financed the founding of the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, DC, USA.
|
| Smokey Quartz
| Named because of the smoke like colour of the stone.
|
| Snow Quartz |
A variety of Quartz (see above) so named because
it is a very pale translucent white colour, just like snow.
|
| Snowflake Obsidian |
A variety of Obsidian (see above) so named
because the inclusions of Cristobalite in the Obsidian look just like
snowflakes when the stone is polished.
|
| Sodalite |
From the Latin solidus meaning "solid" since it was a solid used in the process of glassmaking.
|
| Spessartine Garnet |
Named from where it was first discovered, in the
town of Aschaffenburg, in the Spessart Mountains, Bavaria, Germany.
|
| Staurolite |
Named from the two Greek words, stauros meaning
"cross" and lithos meaning "stone" in allusion to the way that the crystals
commonly form as cross shaped twins.
|
| Stibnite |
Named from the Latin stibium meaning "a mark",
possibly in reference to it's use in marking the faces of women when used as
make-up. Stibnite was used to make Kohl, a type of black eye-liner.
|
| Stichtite |
Named after Robert Stich, general manager of the
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, Dundas, Tasmania. (Dundas
supplies over 80% of the worlds Stichtite).
|
| Stilbite |
From the Greek stilbe meaning "lustre" referring to the pearly or vitreous lustre of its crystals.
|
| Sugilite |
Sugilite was originally discovered on the Iwagi Islet in Japan and was named after Dr. Ken-Ichi Sugi, the Japanese mineralogist who discovered it.
|
| Sulphur |
The mineral Sulphur has been known since
antiquity but the exact derivation of this word is uncertain. It is likely
that the English spelling of Sulphur (note that the American spelling is
Sulfur) is derived from the Latin Sulphurium meaning "sulphur" which itself
is probably derived from the Sanskrit word Sulvere, also meaning "sulphur".
It is also quite possible that the word is derived from the Arabic Sufra,
meaning "yellow".
|
| Sunstone |
So called because it contains red and gold flecks which reflect the sun's light.
|
| Tanzanite |
A type of Blue Zoisite discovered in Tanzania in
1967. Some samples were taken back to Louis Tiffany, of the famous New York
jewellers, Tiffany & Co, who - according to legend - loved the stone as soon
as he saw it but thought the name reminded him of "Blue Suicide". He
therefore ordered the stone to be renamed Tanzanite, derived from the
country in which it was mined, and the name has stuck, in the fashion world
and the mineral world, ever since !
|
| Thulite |
The ancient Greeks thought that the mythical
island of Thule (sometimes called Ultima Thule or Tile) was the Northernmost
habitable region of the world. Now days we think that the Greeks were
referring to Trondheim in Norway - and as this mineral was first discovered
in Lom, in Norway in 1820, it was named in honour of the island of Thule.
|
| Tigers Eye |
Named from the markings on the stone that resemble the pattern found in the eye of a tiger.
|
| Tiger Iron |
Named from the fact that this mineral is
comprised primarily of Tigers Eye and Iron in the form of Hematite.
|
| Topaz |
From the ancient Greek word Topazion, meaning "to seek". Topazos was an island in the Red Sea (now called Zibirgit) difficult to locate as it was often covered in mist.
|
| Tourmaline |
From the Sri Lanka Singhalese word turamali meaning "many coloured" and thought to have been applied by Sri Lankan jewelers to many gems other than Tourmaline alone.
|
| Tsavorite (Green
Garnets) |
Named from where they were originally found, in
the Tsavo National Park in Kenya.
|
| Turquoise |
From the old French word turqueise meaning "Turkish Stone" as Turquoise originally found its way to Europe from Persia via Turkey.
|
| Turritella Agate |
So named because of the inclusion of many
fossilised sea snails and sea creatures in the stone. It was originally
thought that the fossilised creatures were snails from the genus
Turritella, but newer evidence suggests that they are in fact snails of
the genus Elimia tenera, in the family Pleuroceridae. None
the less, the name first given still lives on.
|
| Unakite |
A mix of Epidote and Red Feldspar, named after the Unakas mountain range in North Carolina, USA, where it was first discovered.
|
| Uvarovite |
Named after the Russian nobleman Count Sergei
Semeonovich Uvarov (1786-1855) who was an avid amateur mineral collector and
a member of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg.
|
| Vanadinite |
Named for its Vanadium content. Vanadium is a 19th Century word from New Latin and Old Norse Vanadis which was an epithet (alternative and/or descriptive name) of the Norse goddess of love and fecundity Freya + the ending -ium, a suffix indicating a metallic element.
|
| Variscite |
Named after Variscia, the medieval name of Vogtland in Germany.
|
Vesuvianite
(Idocrase) |
Named after the place it was originally
discovered, Monte Somma, Vesuvius, Italy. See also Idocrase.
|
| Wulfenite |
Named after Austrian mineralogist, F. X. Wulfen
(1728-1805) who first discovered this mineral.
|
| Zincite |
Named after its composition which contains zinc (From the German, zink)
|
| Zircon |
Derived from the Arabic word zarqun, which itself was derived from the two Persian words zar meaning "gold" and gun meaning "colour".
|
| Zoisite |
Named after Siegmund
Zois, Baron von Edelstein (1747-1819) an Austrian scholar.
|
What's the Origin of my
Crystals Name ?