Over 115 striking color photos display pyroxene group minerals in all their forms and colors. This group of rock-forming minerals is best known to collectors through well-formed diopside crystals from many localities, including in Canada, the northeastern United States, the Alpine regions of Europe, and through the gem-quality spodumene found in pegmatites from California to Pakistan. Spectacular recent finds of diopside in Pakistan, hedenbergite at Dal'negorsk, Russia, and aegirine in Malawi have added to the interest in this mineral group. Several pyroxene species are important in the gem trade, including colored varieties of spodumene (kunzite and hiddenite), green "chrome" diopside, and jadeite, one of the two true jade minerals. The informative text provides an introduction to their formation and geochemistry and a detailed entry for each mineral, including color reference photos. This book is essential for every mineral collector.

About the Author
The author holds a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering, and has conducted wide-ranging scientific research in fields ranging from nuclear fuel to microwave processing and biomineralization. He has been granted over forty U.S. Patents, and has written ten books on mineralogy for the collector.


Book Information
ISBN 9780764334047
Author Robert J. Lauf
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 544g