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Jeremejevite is an
As an OH-end member, scientists have been able to synthesize jeremejevite, but only in micro-crystalline form, without fluorine. This synthesized variant of the mineral has no use in the jewelry industry.
Typically, faceted gems can reach up to 5 carats, but usually they range between less than 1 carat and 2 carats. However, new sources produced much larger faceted stones, the biggest faceted gem weighing 254 carats. This gem was found in Sri Lanka in 1990.
Even though jeremejevite is a relatively durable stone, it should not be cleaned using ultrasound cleaning or steaming; the stone usually contains liquid inclusions, which could shatter the stone if cleaned using these methods. It is recommended to clean them with warm water, a mild detergent, and a soft brush instead.
Due to its high value and rarity, it is considered a collectors' stone, who purchase it in mineral form, hence only a few specimens had been faceted so far.
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
borate mineral
The borate minerals are minerals which contain a borate anion group. The borate (BO3) units may be polymerised similar to the SiO4 unit of the silicate mineral class. This results in B2O5, B3O6, B2O4 anions as well as more complex structures whic ...
with variable fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
and hydroxide
Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. I ...
ions. Its chemical formula
In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...
is . It is considered as one of the rarest, thus one of the most expensive stones. For nearly a century, it was considered as one of the rarest gemstones in the world.
It was first described in 1883''Damour A.'' Note sur un borate d'alumine cristallisé de la Siberie. Nouvelle espèce minerale // Bulletin de la Société minéralogique de France. 1883. 6. N 1. P. 20-23. as small, single crystals in loose granitic debris in Mt. Soktui, Nerschinsk district, Adun-Chilon Mountains, Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
. It was named after Pavel Vladimirovich Eremeev, Russian mineralogist, engineer and professor, who collected the first specimens. (Jeremejev, German) (1830–1899).
Properties
Jeremejevite is a mineral which shows pleochroic properties, which is an optical phenomenon meaning the color of the mineral appears as if it changes colors depending on the axis it is viewed on. Blue specimens from Namibia show a light cornflower blue to colorless to light yellow pleochroism, while yellow materials show light yellow to colorless pleochroism. This mineral is piezoelectric, meaning that if it is under mechanical stress, it generates electricity.Mining and localities
Jeremejevite occurs as a latehydrothermal
Hydrothermal circulation in its most general sense is the circulation of hot water (Ancient Greek ὕδωρ, ''water'',Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with th ...
phase in granitic
A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quart ...
pegmatites
A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than and sometimes greater than . Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic co ...
in association with albite
Albite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. It represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content. The pure albite endmember has the formula . It is a tectosilicate. I ...
, tourmaline
Tourmaline ( ) is a crystalline silicate mineral group in which boron is compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is a gemstone and can be found in a wide variety of colors.
The ...
, quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
and rarely gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...
. It has also been reported in the Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...
of Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
, Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
and in micro-crystalline form at the Eifel district, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It was first found in facetable form in Namibia, which were blue-green pyramidal crystals up to . Later, there was a new source revealed in Namibia, near Usakos in 2001. Nowadays, most of the stones on the market are from that deposit.
Jewelry industry
As an OH-end member, scientists have been able to synthesize jeremejevite, but only in micro-crystalline form, without fluorine. This synthesized variant of the mineral has no use in the jewelry industry.
Typically, faceted gems can reach up to 5 carats, but usually they range between less than 1 carat and 2 carats. However, new sources produced much larger faceted stones, the biggest faceted gem weighing 254 carats. This gem was found in Sri Lanka in 1990.
Even though jeremejevite is a relatively durable stone, it should not be cleaned using ultrasound cleaning or steaming; the stone usually contains liquid inclusions, which could shatter the stone if cleaned using these methods. It is recommended to clean them with warm water, a mild detergent, and a soft brush instead.
Due to its high value and rarity, it is considered a collectors' stone, who purchase it in mineral form, hence only a few specimens had been faceted so far.
References
Borate minerals Hexagonal minerals Minerals in space group 176 {{mineral-stub