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. Minerals with complex anion groups such as the sil ...
used as a
gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...
. Its
type locality 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 States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, for which it was named following its discovery in 1967.
[ It is a member of the ]taaffeite
Taaffeite (; BeMgAl4O8) is a mineral, named after its discoverer Richard Taaffe (1898–1967) who found the first sample, a Cut (gems), cut and polished gem, in October 1945 in a jeweler's shop in Dublin, Ireland.Dept. Mineralogy, British Museum, ...
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 minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.
The scale was introduced in 1812 by the Ger ...
.[ Due to its rarity, the mineral can sell for roughly USD$35,000 per carat.
]
See also
*List of minerals
This is a list of minerals which have Wikipedia articles.
Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various ''species''. Within a mineral speci ...
References
Oxide minerals
Gemstones
{{oxide-mineral-stub