FAQ Chemistry: CuSiO3 - nH2 O, Hydrated copper silicate
Class: Silicates
Subclass: Phyllosilicates
Uses: minor ore of copper and an ornamental stone.
Specimens
Chrysocolla is attractive blue-green that provides a unique color to the mineral world. Chyrsocolla is perhaps more appropriately a mineraloid than a true mineral. Most of the time it is amorphous meaning that it does not have a coherent crystalline structure. However at higher temperatures it does demonstrate a distorted crystal structure that seems to be composed of Si4 O10 sheets. Chrysocolla forms in the oxidation zones of copper rich ore bodies.
Our chrysocolla is "agatized" in chalcedony quartz and it is the quartz that provides the stone with its polish and durability. Our chrysocolla can have a turquoise color.
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