Diaspore

Diaspore as a mineral has been around since its discovery as a species in 1801, but it wasn"t until the 1970"s that this mineral was first faceted for gemstone use. From the 1970"s through 2005 occasional gems were cut from Diaspore for collectors, but in 2006 this mineral started being mined specifically for gemstone use. Though Diaspore is found in several localities throughout the world, the only source of gemstone material is in a Bauxite deposit in the Anatolian Mountains of central Turkey. Originally exploited for its economic importance for the extraction of aluminum, this deposit is now solely mined for the production of this gemstone.

Chemical Formula	AlO(OH)
Color	Red, Green, Yellow, Pink
Hardness	6.5Â -Â 7
Crystal System	Orthorhombic
Refractive Index	1.70Â -Â 1.75
SG	3.3Â -Â 3.5
Transparency	Transparent
Double Refraction	0.048
Luster	Vitreous
Cleavage	1,2;2,1
Mineral Class	Diaspore