Dioptase

Dioptase Gemstone Knowledge

Almost impossible to find set into jewellery, dioptase is a rare and vibrant copper mineral known for its stunning and intense emerald-green to bluish-green colour, with crystals generally transparent to translucent.

Dioptase has a high luster but brittle nature, making this beautiful crystal unfortunately quite difficult to cut and polish, let alone set into jewellery. The mineral is believed to gets its name from the Greek words "dia" and "optima," which mean "through" and "appearance," respectively, referencing its strong transparency.

The formation process is quite complex and involves a chemical reaction of copper minerals to the presence of oxygenated water. To begin, primary copper minerals are present in the geological environment. Over time, geological processes lead to the exposure of these primary copper minerals to oxygen in the atmosphere. This oxidation process transforms the primary copper minerals into what are called secondary copper minerals. These oxidized copper minerals undergo leaching, where water containing oxygen and other elements travels through the rock, dissolving and transporting copper ions. The copper ions interact with any silicate minerals in the surrounding rock. Dioptase crystals now have the right conditions to grow as a result of these reactions. The specific conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and the availability of certain elements, influence the crystallization of dioptase, and under suitable conditions, dioptase begin to crystallize, forming its distinctive green crystals.

Care: Dioptase is a collector's favourite due to its superb rich green colours and relative rarity. However, it is also a delicate mineral that can be sensitive to heat, light, and chemicals, so care is needed in handling and storing this stunning gem. When not being worn, it's best to keep dioptase stored away from other gemstones so that it doesn't get scratched, and avoid using silver polishes and abrasives near it as they may scratch it. 

Being only 5 on the MOHS hardness scale, dioptase is not really suitable for robust every day wear as it may scratch and chip over time, and due to its brittleness dioptase is a gemstone that is best kept for occasional wear only.

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