Description

Hematite is a mineral form of Iron oxide.  It is a very common material that has a black to steel to silver-grey color and may also appear reddish brown.  Hematite is a heavy metal and when it is polished it is considered to many to be of gemstone quality.  It is very popular in jewelry and Native American art.

Quartz is the second most common mineral in the Earth’s continental crust. It is mainly composed of Silica or Silica based minerals. Although Quartz is known by a variety of names, the most important distinction between types of Quartz is that of macro-crystalline, individual crystals visible to the unaided eye, and micro-crystalline, where aggregates of crystals are only visible under high magnification. There are many forms of Quartz including Chalcedony, Amethyst, Citrine, and Carnelian which are results of mineral impurities or heat treatments.

Calcite is a Carbonate mineral that is most widely distributed on the Earth’s surface.  It is a common constituent of sedimentary rocks with Limestone in particular.  A Calcite formation can take on many different shapes and sizes which is dependent on the location, ground water occurrence and temperature.  Calcite is usually white or colorless but can be gray, red, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown or black.  The deeper the color is usually indicative of the definitive impurities from the earth or water. Chalcopyrite is a copper iron sulfide mineral that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. Chalcopyrite has a brassy to golden yellow color, which often resembles Gold. However, its physical properties such as streak and tenacity are very different from Gold and can easily distinguish it. Chalcopyrite is a beautiful mineral, with good crystals being fairly common. Chalcopyrite is rarely found in association with native copper.