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Hiddenite  (variety of Spodumene)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  LiAlSi₂O₆ + Cr

Discovered about 1879;   IMA status: Hiddenite: Not Valid; Spodumene: Valid
Hiddenite is named after William Earl Hidden (1853 - 1918), owner of a mine in North Carolina near where it was discovered. The name Spodumene is from the Greek word spodumenos, meaning burnt to ash which refers to the ashy gray color of early mineral specimens.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/F.01-120

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.DA.30

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
A : Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si₂O₆; pyroxene family

Related to:

Pyroxene Group, Clinopyroxene Subgroup.
Members include Aegirine, Augite, Clinoenstatite, Clinoferrosilite, Diopside, Esseneite, Hedenbergite, Jadeite, Jervisite, Johannsenite, Kosmochlor, Kanoite, Namansilite, Natalyite, Petedunnite, Pigeonite and Spodumene.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Spodumene: Crystals are prismatic, typically flattened and striated, to 12.5 m and 54 t. Commonly massive.

Twinning:

Common on [100]

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[110] Good, [100] Good, [010] Partings

Fracture:

Uneven to Subconchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

6.5 - 7.0

Density:

3.03 - 3.23 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

May show Yellow, Orange or Pink fluorescence under LW and SW UV.

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Light Green to Emerald-Green

Transparency:

Transparent, Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous, Dull

Refractive Index:

1.653 - 1.682  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.014 - 0.018

Dispersion:

Weak; r < v; 0.012

Pleochroism:

Distinct; X = Colorless; Y = Emerald Green; Z = Bluish Green or Greenish Yellow

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A common constituent of lithium-rich granite pegmatites; in aplites and gneisses.

Common Associations:

Quartz, Albite, Petalite, Eucryptite, Lepidolite, Beryl

Type Locality:

Hiddenite, Alexander Co., North Carolina, USA

Year Discovered:

About 1879

View mineral photos:

Hiddenite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org (Hiddenite)
Mindat.org (Spodumene)
Webmineral.com (Spodumene)

Hiddenite is a very rare member of the Spodumene Family of minerals that also includes Kunzite. Hiddenite was discovered in Alexander County, North Carolina, USA and named after William Earl Hidden, owner of a mine in North Carolina near where it was discovered. The nearby town of White Plains was renamed Hiddenite after the beautiful green mineral. The name Hiddenite was originally used to described only the light to deep green mineral from Alexander County, North Carolina, USA. Crystals from this location are colored green by the presence of chromium. Some argue that the name should only apply to the green crystals from North Carolina containing chromium. Others say it can be applied to any Spodumene that is of any shade of yellow, yellowish green or green from any location. Originally Hiddenite was defined in 1892 by George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932), a famous author and gemologist, as "always transparent, ranges from colorless (rare) to a light yellow, into a yellowish green, then into a deep yellow emerald green. Sometimes an entire crystal has a uniform green color, but generally one end is yellow and the other green." These days, the name is used to describe a wide variety of Spodumene crystals and gems from several locations and with a wide variety of colors from very pale yellow (nearly colorless) to very pale yellowish green to deep emerald green.

Hiddenite is strongly pleochroic, meaning it has a color intensity difference when viewed from different directions. It is a very difficult gem to facet because of its strong pleochroism and easy, splintery cleavage.

Using the loose definition of Hiddenite, the mineral is found in several locations around the world including Afghanistan, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Xinjiang-Uygur, China; Ambatovita, Madagascar; Alto Ligonha District, Mozambique; and Shigar, Pakistan.
 

  
Hiddenite gems for sale:

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