| General Information |
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| Varieties/Types: | |
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| Chemical Formula | | Na | | (Al,Si) | | O | | Cl toCa | | (Si,Al) | | O | | (CO | | ,SO | | ) |
Arthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) |
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| Scapolite Treatments |
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Colorless or yellow material, as well as scapolite cat’s-eyes, were found to turn a purple (amethystine) color on irradiation by X-rays, electrons, or on exposure to radium (Pough and Rogers, 1947; Pough, 1957). This strongly dichroic color faded rapidly on heating or on exposure to light, but was not stable even if the irradiated stones were kept in the dark. Naturally occurring scapolite of this color does not fade – Nassau (1984)
Violet color may result from irradiation of colorless to light yellow varieties: unstable - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 7 |
| Physical Properties of Scapolite |
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| Mohs Hardness | 5 to 6.5Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Specific Gravity | 2.50 to 2.80Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Cleavage Quality | PerfectUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Fracture | Sub-ConchoidalArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) |
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| Optical Properties of Scapolite |
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| Refractive Index | 1.531 to 1.600Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Optical Character | Uniaxial/-Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references |
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| Birefringence | 0.008 to 0.035Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Pleochroism | Pink stones - distinct: colorless - pink; Yellow stones - distinct: colorless-(yellowish) - yellow; Violet/purple - strong: violet-blue - dark blueHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references |
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| Dispersion | 0.017Arthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) |
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| Chatoyancy | YesUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Colour |
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| Colour (General) | Yellow, rose-pink, violet, colourlessUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Causes of Colour | Various colors, color centers related to irradiation of Cl, CO23 or SO24 - groups present in the large voids of the crystal structureW. William Hanneman, Pragmatic Spectroscopy For Gemologists (2011) |
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| Transparency | TransparentUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Lustre | VitreousArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) |
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| Fluorescence & other light emissions |
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| Fluorescence (General) | Occasionally yellow to orange or lilac to bluishUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references |
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| Fluorescence (Short Wave UV) | There are variable responses with some phosphorescence reportedMichael O’Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) |
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| Fluorescence (Long-Wave UV) | Yellow specimens from Myanmar give yellow to orange and some East African yellow stones show a very bright yellow-greenMichael O’Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) |
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| Fluorescence (X-RAY) | There are variable responses with some phosphorescence reportedMichael O’Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) |
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| Crystallography of Scapolite |
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| Crystal System | TetragonalHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references |
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| Habit | Prismatic, usually with flat pyramidal terminations; masses are also known.Michael O’Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) More from other references |
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| Geological Environment |
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| Where found: | Occurs in regionally metamorphosed rocks, particularly in marbles.Michael O’Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) |
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| Inclusions in Scapolite |
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| Hollow tubes, needle-like crystals - Gemmological Tables, Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, p 8 |
| Further Information |
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| Mineral information: | Scapolite information at mindat.org |
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| Significant Gem Localities |
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| Myanmar | | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Gems, Sixth Edition, Michael O’Donoghue, 2006, p. 446 | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| [var: Meionite] Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Gems, Sixth Edition, Michael O’Donoghue, 2006, p. 446 | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok |
- Pein-Pyit (Painpyit; Pyan Pyit)
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | |
| Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok | | Tajikistan | | |
| Zolotarev (1993) | | Tanzania | | |
| Barot et al. (1995) | |
| Gemstones of the world, W.Schumann, 2001, p.188 |
- Uluguru Mts (Uruguru Mts)
| Gems, Sixth Edition, Michael O’Donoghue, 2006, p. 446 |
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