Summer 2010
Hibonite: A New Gem Mineral
Thomas Hainschwang, Franck Notari, Laurent Massi, Thomas Armbruster, Benjamin Rondeau, Emmanuel Fritsch, and Mariko Nagashima
A 0.23 g orangy brown crystal, a 0.39 ct step-cut gem later faceted from it, and a 0.71 g crystal—all reportedly from Myanmar—were characterized for this report. Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and chemical analysis identified the material as hibonite. These samples represent the first gem-quality hibonite ever recorded.
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