Seraphinite

Etymology and history

Seraphinite mineral stone got its name from the Greek words for inclined and green since its structure is monoclinic and its common color is green. Clinochlore was found and described by the famous Russian mineralogist Nikolai I. Koksharov (1818 – 1892) who was once the director of the Imperial Mineralogical Society.

Seraphinite description

Seraphinite is unusual in appearance, dark green with a silvery, almost fern-like pattern that shoots out in sprays, some even look like angel wings. This beautiful Seraphinite ring is set with a sterling silver and has a beautiful polish, with a lovely mix of chatoyant, silvery, flashes that streaks out when the light catches it scattered evenly among lovely contrasting darker green flashes. It has a fan starburst at the bottom with silvery wings that flash on certain angles with deep forest green top that highlights its chatoyance. With some specimens the resemblance is quite strong, with shorter down-like feathery growths leading into longer "flight feathers"; the resemblance even spurs fanciful marketing phrases like "silver plume seraphinite." Seraphinite is generally dark green to gray in color, has chatoyancy, and has hardness between 2 and 4 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

Seraphinite in jewelry

Seraphinite is not a strong gemstone and as such, earrings, pendants, pins, and tie tacks are probably the safest choice for this stone. Rings should be limited to occasional wear and the stones should be set with a protective setting. Avoid rough handing; Seraphinite needs special care to avoid scratching.

Occurrence

Seraphinite is found only in The Lake Baikal region of Siberia. It is characterized by its deep green color, laced with shimmering patterns of silver that move with changing angles of light reflections.