Kornerupine
Consumer Information
What color is it?: Green sometimes with brown overtones as shown above
What is the story behind this gemstone?: Pronounced: "cornar-u-pine" with a short "u". This is an unusual gemstone that is rather rare. It is named for an explorer from Greenland, and it is rather unusual to find in jewelry. Although it does make for some nice conversation if you want to have a jewelry item to wear at the party that no one else has is wearing.
Can I wear it everyday?: Yes. It is a fairly tough gemstone for everyday wear.
Is it expensive?: Not really. Generally in the price range of a nice tourmaline.
Is it a birthstone?: With a name like that?...no way.
What do I need to know before going shopping?: Phone ahead. Few retail jewelers will stock this gemstone but it is available. Find a professional independent retail jeweler who sells a lot of colored gemstones. They will know where to find a nice kornerupine
General Information
Source: Mostly from Sri Lanka, Canada, and Greenland. But other sources are out there.
Chemical: Mg4Al6
Formation: Igneous rocks
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Unusual Properties: None
Gemological Information
RI: 1.665 - 1.682
Birefringence: .017
Optic Character: B -
Specific Gravity: 3.30 + -
Hardness: 7
Transparency: TP- TL
Special Identifying Properties and Tests: None. For all the GIA Graduate Gemologists out there...this is definitely a "B" Chart gemstone.
Synthetics: None known at this time...nor why anyone would want to.
Imitations: Many possible