Boleite
A species of Minerals Scientific name : Boleite RockType : Minerals
Boleite, A species of Minerals
Scientific name: Boleite
RockType: Minerals
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Description
Holding a gem of boleite in your hands is a treat that very few get to experience. This beautiful mineral contains such precious elements as silver but is displayed in an unforgettable blue package. In some collector circuits, it is considered the rarest of all cut gemstones, and availability is quite scarce on traders' markets.
Physical Properties
Colors
Deep prussian blue to indigo, bluish green in transmitted light
Luster
PearlyVitreous
Diaphaneity
Translucent
Refractive Index
2.05
Birefringence
0.01
Dispersion
0.071
Optical Character
Uniaxial negative
Chemical Properties
Chemical Classification
Halides
Formula
KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62
Elements listed
Ag, Cl, Cu, H, K, O, Pb
Common Impurities
None
People often ask
General Info
How to Select
Boleite is rare as a gemstone due to its softness. When considering color, a highly saturated indigo hue is preferred. Transparent material is very rare and desirable due to its attractiveness when cut as a gem. Boleite is sometimes glued onto matrix to make for attractive mineral specimens, but no imitations are known in the gem market.
Usage
Boleite is a source of copper in some areas, though more common sources are typically preferred. Copper is used in a wide variety of applications, from electrical equipment to coins to sugar detection. It is also a minor source of lead and silver. Its primary use is among collectors due to its attractive appearance.
Formation
Boleite was first collected as a very minor ore of silver, copper and lead at Boleo, Mexico. Boleite was named after its place of discovery, El Boleo mine, on the Baja Peninsula, near Santa Rosalia, Mexico. Minerals associated with boleite include pseudoboleite, cumengeite, atacamite, anglesite, cerussite, phosgenite and gypsum at the type locality in Boleo, Mexico. In the Mammoth-St. Anthony mine of Arizona associated minerals include pseudoboleite, anglesite, cerussite, atacamite, paratacamite, leadhillite, paralaurionite, caledonite, phosgenite, matlockite and bideauxite. 
