Inderite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

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Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0 [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Inderite is very soft and difficult to cut, and only a few stones have been cut by hobbyists. There is plenty of cuttable material in existence, and although the material comes from only a few localities, it is not considered a great rarity. The surface of cut stones may become white and cloudy after cutting; care must be taken in storage and to dry the stones after cutting.

Inderite Information

Data	Value
Name	Inderite
Varieties	Kurnakovite
Alternate Common Names	Also known as Lesserite; dimorph of Kurnakovite.
Colors	Colorless; massive varieties white to pink.
Hardness	2.5.
Fracture	Uneven
Cleavage	Perfect 1 direction
Stone Sizes	Gems over 50 carats or more could be cut from large transparent crystals.
Formula	Mg₂B₆O₁₁_·15H₂O.
Crystallography	Monoclinic. Crystals prismatic, up to 10 x 1cm; nodular; acicular crystals also.
Refractive Index	1.486-1.507
Birefringence	0.017-0.020.
Luminescence	None.
Luminescence Present	No
Absorption Spectrum	Not diagnostic.
Optics	a = 1.486-1.489; β = 1.488-1.493; γ = 1.504-1.507. Biaxial (+), 2V= 37-52°.
Optic Sign	Biaxial +
Luster	Vitreous; pearly on cleavage.
Specific Gravity	1.78-1.86
Transparency	Transparent.

Optics: a = 1.486-1.489; β = 1.488-1.493; γ = 1.504-1.507.

Biaxial (+), 2V= 37-52°.

Occurrence: Borate deposits in arid regions.

Kern County, California: large crystals, often transparent. Inder borate deposit, Kazakhstan, USSR: as nodules in red clay.

Comments: Inderite is very soft and difficult to cut, and only a few stones have been cut by hobbyists. There is plenty of cuttable material in existence, and although the material comes from only a few localities, it is not considered a great rarity. The surface of cut stones may become white and cloudy after cutting; care must be taken in storage and to dry the stones after cutting.

Name: After the locality, Inder Lake, Kazakhstan, USSR.