You might be familiar with Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz, etc. but have you heard of Bytownite? Well, this article tells you all about this rare gemstone…
An explorer named T. Thomson found some material in a boulder, as far back as 1835, in a place called Bytown in Canada (today, it is called Ottawa). Curious, he placed it under his microscope and discovered that it was a mixture. It was he who gave this mineral its name—Bytownite.
More facts about this stone were discovered by G. Tschermak. This mineral was supposed to be between Anorthite and Labradorite. Thus, the name of Bytownite was adopted by petrologists, and it has remained the same till now.
To go into this gemstone in detail—
1. Bytownite belongs to the plagioclase feldspars family of gemstones; as a matter of fact, it is supposed to be their fifth member.
2. Considering that it has an unusual composition (minerals that can comprise anything from anorthite to pure albite), this stone is a rare find. Jewelers label it as one of the rarest of gemstones.
3. Should you notice any lime-rich igneous rocks in and around Mexico, Oregon, Canada, Scotland, and South Africa, you might find clear, tiny grains or crystals of Bytownite in them. These are yellow in color.
4. Should you find such a stone, you will need to take good care of it to retain its purity. Harsh chemicals will have adverse effects. So, warm water is to be used for cleaning Bytownite. Polishing is to be done with a clean and dry cloth.
In order to identify Bytownite, you would need to understand various physical characteristics, such as—
1. Color—can occur in all shades of white and gray, as well as pale yellow. The range can be quite vast. Some can even be colorless.
2. Specific gravity—can be anywhere between 2.75 to 2.76.
3. Hardness—ranges from 5.5 to 6.0; hence, the stone is quite delicate.
4. Refractive Index and density—approximately 1.575 to 1.585. It is the gradations of refraction and density that will help in identifying plagioclase feldspars, in the absence of optical measurements or chemical analysis.
5. Metamorphic complexes and intrusions—visible.
6. Cleavage—faultless. Absolutely perfect prisms of the right angle can be seen. The white streak is the result of minerals such as hornblende, biotite and pyroxenes. If simple grooves are also visible on the stone’s cleavage, they are due to the striations.
7. Crystals—result of twinning. Stacks of layers (small grains that occur in compact masses and gabbros) twin together; their thickness can range from mere fractions to several millimeters. This type of twinning is associated with pure albite. The result is crystals of grey or white, exhibiting striations.
8. Habits in crystals—tend to range from blocky to tabular. In case rectangular or square cross-sections are visible, they will reveal perforations along with pinacoid terminations, plus a slanted dome. Free crystals are a rare occurrence.
9. Chemical composition—70% to 90% calcium and 10% to 30% sodium. This is determined by the position of the structure of the crystal. Thus, the composition can be described as calcium sodium aluminum silicate. As a result, Bytownite tends to have a glazed luster and a conchoidal fracture. Weathering can cause it to become vitreous or translucent.
10. Identification and analysis—can be done with the aid of chemicals, diffraction, and petrographic analysis. Additional help comes in the form of occurrence, index of refraction and density, and striations.