By Didier Descouens (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Breithauptite is a curiosity cut for collectors, although it could be worn with care in jewelry. The color is extremely lovely, a delicate reddish or violet with metallic luster that is both unique and attractive. Sometimes the reddish sulfide is veined with streaks of native silver or colorless gangue minerals, providing interesting patterning to the color. The material is not very rare but is seldom encountered in cut form.
| Data | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Breithauptite |
| Stone Sizes | Massive material could cut gems to hundreds of carats but only as cabochons. |
| Formula | NiSb |
| Colors | Light copper-red, violetish |
| Fracture | Subconchoidal to uneven |
| Hardness | 5.5 |
| Cleavage | None |
| Crystallography | Hexagonal. Crystals are rare, usually massive, compact. |
| Birefringence | None |
| Luminescence | None. |
| Pleochroism | Strong in reflected light. |
| Luminescence Present | No |
| Luster | Metallic. |
| Specific Gravity | 7.59-8.23 |
| Transparency | Opaque. |
STREAK: Reddish Brown
OCCURRENCE: In massive Ni sulfide ore bodies.
Cobalt district, Ontario, Canada; Sarrabus, Sardinia; Adreasburg, Harz, Germany.
COMMENTS: Breithauptite is a curiosity cut for collectors, although it could be worn with care in jewelry. The color is extremely lovely, a delicate reddish or violet with metallic luster that is both unique and attractive. Sometimes the reddish sulfide is veined with streaks of native silver or colorless gangue minerals, providing interesting patterning to the color. The material is not very rare but is seldom encountered in cut form.
NAME: After G.W.A. Breithaupt, a German mineralogist.
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