Musgravite or magnesiotaaffeite-6N’3S is a rare

oxide mineral The oxide mineral class includes those minerals in which the oxide anion (O2−) is bonded to one or more metal alloys. The hydroxide-bearing minerals are typically included in the oxide class. The minerals with complex anion groups such as the ...

used as a gemstone. Its

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

is the Ernabella Mission,

Musgrave Ranges Musgrave Ranges is a mountain range in Central Australia, straddling the boundary of South Australia ( Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) and the Northern Territory ( MacDonnell Shire), extending into Western Australia. It is between the Gre ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, for which it was named following its discovery in 1967. It is a member of the taaffeite family of minerals,Magnesiotaaffeite-''6N’3S'' on Mindat
/ref>
/ref> and its chemical formula is Be( Mg, Fe, Zn)₂ Al₆ O₁₂. Its hardness is 8 to 8.5 on the

Mohs scale The Mohs scale of mineral hardness () is a qualitative ordinal scale, from 1 to 10, characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. The scale was introduced in 1812 by the ...

. Due to its rarity, the mineral can sell for roughly USD$35,000 per carat.

References

Oxide minerals Gemstones {{oxide-mineral-stub