Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0 [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Wardite is another of the many phosphates that have been cut by collectors. It is pale colored and not terribly attractive and is fairly soft and fragile. It is seen far more frequently as cabochons than as faceted stones.
| Data | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Wardite |
| Colors | Colorless, white, pale green to bluish green. |
| Crystallography | Tetragonal. Crystals pyramidal; as crusts, aggregates, fibers, spherules. |
| Refractive Index | 1.586-1.604 |
| Luster | Vitreous. |
| Hardness | 5 |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Specific Gravity | 2.81-2.87 |
| Birefringence | 0.009 |
| Cleavage | Perfect 1 direction |
| Stone Sizes | Faceted gems are very rare, cut from Brazilian material. Cabochons are cut of white wardite mixed with green variscite from Utah. Faceted gems would all be under 2—3 carats in size. |
| Luminescence | None |
| Luminescence Present | No |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent. |
| Absorption Spectrum | Not diagnostic. |
| Formula |
NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4 · 2H2O. |
| Pleochroism |
None. |
| Optics |
o = 1.586-1.594; e = 1.595-1.604. Uniaxial (+). Sometimes anomalously biaxial. |
| Optic Sign | Uniaxial + |
Occurrence: In phosphate masses in sediments, and in pegmatites.
Keystone, South Dakota; Pala, California.
Fairfield, Utah: in large nodules with variscite and other phosphates. Also at Amatrice Hill, Lucin, Utah.
Montebras, France: as an alteration of amblygonite.
West Andover, New Hampshire: in crystals to 1 cm.
Piedras Lavradas, Paraiba, Brazil: greenish white crystals to about 1 inch.
Comments: Wardite is another of the many phosphates that have been cut by collectors. It is pale colored and not terribly attractive and is fairly soft and fragile. It is seen far more frequently as cabochons than as faceted stones.
Name: After Henry A. Ward, American naturalist and collector.
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