Aventurine, also known as adventurine, is a type of microcrystalline quartz with small, shiny inclusions. An inexpensive stone, it is used in the gem and art businesses, and is sometimes mistaken for jade.
Features
A semi-translucent to opaque stone aventurine displays aventurescence, a sparkle effect that is due to minute inclusions of . These inclusions come from the reflective minerals ilmenite, hematite or mica. Hematite makes reddish or grey-ish sparkles, while mica gives a silver "sheen."
Aventurine comes in a moderately large selection of colors, ranging from the warm colors of red, orange, yellow and brown to cool colors like green, blue-green and blue. Of these colors, shades of green are the most common.
To determine the hardness of a gem, which also influences what kind of jewelry can be made from it, a mineral is tested using the Moh's scale of hardness. This scale is a relative scale; within it, a diamond rates 10, while quartz in general rates 7. Aventurine's rating is 6.5 to 7.
Chemical Composition
The basic chemical composition of all quartz is silicon dioxide, or silica. The chemical formula for silicon dioxide is SiO2.
History
The modern name "aventurine" comes from the Italian "per avventura," meaning "by chance." According to one theory, glass workers in Venetia (a region known for its glasswork) during the 1700s were working with some molten glass when some copper filings somehow fell into it. The sparkling effect the filings produced in the glass was beautiful and completely "by chance." Aventurine looks like this glass, so the name was assigned to it.
Sources
Aventurine has been found in Europe (in Austria, Spain and Russia), Africa (in Tanzania), South America (Brazil and Chile), Asia (China), the U.S. (Vermont) and in the Indian subcontinent.
Considerations
Aventurine is not often cut in facets. Instead it is cut "en cabochon," meaning that it is rounded.
Certain folklore states that aventurine can be a lucky stone, and can have health benefits both spiritually and physically. Tibetan aventurine cures myopia and augments creativity.
It is common in the gem world for alternate names to exist for gems. Other than "adventurine," aventurine is also called Indian jade, avanturine and aventurine quartz.
Warnings
Some gems, such as citrine and amethyst, will fade when exposed to the sun too long. Aventurine that is partly translucent is also subject to this fading.
Significance
Aventurine has permeated cultures all across the world for generations, and it continues to do so. Evidence of this, other than in folk magic, is that a traditional gift for the eighth anniversary is aventurine.
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