Uses of Minerals

BEAUTY, INDUSTRY, AND HEALTH

Gems Gems are valuable because they are rare and beautiful.

Most gems are a special variety of a particular mineral, but they are clearer, brighter, or more colorful than the common sample.

Common variety Gem quality variety

TOPAZ – Rough direct from mine and professionally cut and

“heated treated” by jeweler to bring out

the blue color.

PERIDOT – Rough direct from mine

and professionally cut by jeweler.

Gems (like the ruby and sapphire) and the common form (corundum) of the same mineral may have only small chemical differences.

Traces of iron in quartz (left) give amethyst (right) its valuable purple color.

http://www.arkansasquartzcrystals.com/

Corundum

Corundum is a very hard mineral (hardness 9); In its rare pure form, corundum is colorless

and called white sapphire. Rubies

contain chromic oxide, blue sapphires contain

titanium along with ferrous oxide, and

yellow sapphires contain ferric oxide.

Famous Gems

THE INTENSE ORANGE PHOSPHORESCENCE OF THE HOPE DIAMOND IS ONLY VISIBLE IN A DARK ROOM AFTER EXPOSURE TO ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT.  ONE OF THE DIAMONDS SURROUNDING THE HOPE IS PHOSPHORESCING BLUE.   PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN NELS HATLEBERG.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/08/hope-diamond.html

530 carat “Star of Africa” diamond

http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/

312.24 carat black diamond

726 carats (rough) Jonker diamond

125 carats (cut)

The Black Star Sapphire of Queensland Australia 733 carats of black

sapphire, 35 diamonds

Was for sale in 2002 for $100 million dollars

Was found by a 14 year old and originally used as a doorstop

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57530642/astronomers-spot-diamond-planet/

http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm

Gems are valued based on the 4 C’s: Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carats

Color

Clarity

Cut

•http://mineralsciences.si.edu/collections/newacquisitions.htm•Smithsonian recent acquisitions

Color

Color-saturation

Color can range from light to dark.

A gem is more valuable the closer its color is to the

true color (not pale or so dark it is

black).

Some gems will even have different color

saturation levels within them.

Natural Diamond Colors

Cut

This poorly-cut lemon citrine is windowed.Notice you can read the underlying text through the

gem's centre.

The cut can greatly enhance a gem’s appearance.

The lime citrine (left) is slightly windowed and very poorly cut. The same gemstone has been

recut (right) Notice the ‘fogginess’ of the gem before recut, the small window in the middle and lack of symmetry.

The best cut is selected for each gem based on its starting shape.

Rough uncut

diamonds

Skilled gem cutters will follow specific patterns

Clarity-how clear it is

Diamond with Garnet

 Solid inclusions may be the same gem

type as the host, or different like the

garnet in this diamond.

This emerald–cut quartz from Brazil has a blue

anatase crystal inclusion as well as needle-like inclusions

of rutile. In this specimen, we can see the anatase

inclusion seemingly floating in this clear quartz gem.

Anatase is a form of titanium dioxide and is usually found

as small, isolated, well-developed crystals.

Thousands of needlelike mineral inclusions create a star-like pattern or cat’s eye pattern

(asterism) when the stone is cut properly

Rounds        Squares        Ovals       

Size Weight Size Weight Size Weight

1.6 mm .02 carat 5 mm .75 carat 5 x 3 mm .25 carat

2 mm .03 carat 6 mm 1.3 carat 6 x 4 mm .5 carat

2.5 mm .06 carat 7 mm 2.05 carat 7 x 5 mm 1.0 carat

3 mm .10 carat 8 mm 2.9 carat 8 x 6 mm 1.5 carat

3.5 mm .16 carat 9 mm 4.4 carat 9 x 7 mm 2.5 carat

4 mm .25 carat 10 mm 6.0 carat 10 x 8 mm 3.0 carat

4.5 mm .33 carat 11 mm 8.0 carat 11 x 9 mm 4.0 carat

5 mm .50 carat 12 mm 10.35 carat 12 x 10 mm 5.0 carat

5.5 mm .65 carat 13 mm 13.2 carat 14 x 10 mm 6.0 carat

6 mm .75 carat 14 mm 16.5 carat 14 x 12 mm 8.0 carat

6.5 mm 1.0 carat 15 mm 20.25 carat 16 x 12 mm 10.5 carat

Carat

Cool Gypsum Crystals-Mexico

http://www.thatcrystalsite.com/downloads/NaicaCrystalCave.pps#257,1,Slide 1

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/crystal-giants/crystals-photography

Useful Minerals

Gemstones are the most popular minerals, but not the most important.

Many everyday objects are made from useful minerals.

http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/minerals/usage/games/index.htm

Useful Gems Include: Diamonds are used in cutting tools

Rubies help produce laser light

Ores

A mineral or rock is an ORE if it contains a useful substance that can be mined at a profit.

Bauxite – An aluminum ore aluminum

Ores are refined to separate the valuable mineral from the waste material.

In Toy Story 3, the metals were separated

from the waste materials using a magnet, then the

valuable metals were melted down to be recycled and used

again.

Mineral Refining1. Original materials are crushed

2. The crushed rocks are heated or treated with a chemical to separate the waste from the ore

3. Different materials melt at different temperatures or react to chemicals differently

4. Useful minerals are then separated from the waste rock and are removed.

Some valuable mineral ores

bauxite (aluminum oxide, Al₂O₃): Aluminum

Mining for ores can be hard on the environment

http://maps.google.com/

haematite (iron(III) oxide, Fe₂O₃): Iron

rutile (titanium dioxide, TiO₂ and

ilmenite (FeTiO₃) : Titanium

Titanium frames are usually over

$1000

Titanium body parts

Titanium golf clubs can be

several hundred dollars

Raw titanium

This mineral is light weight and durable

Minerals and Your Health

Many minerals play an important role in maintaining the health of your body.

There are over 14 minerals our body must have to function properly.

Minerals in our body come from the food we eat

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html

Plants absorb the minerals directly from the soil.

Some important minerals needed by humans

a. Calcium

Helps strengthen our bones and circulate our blood.

b. Copper

Helps our body break down proteins and helps our red blood cells function

c. Iron

Helps produce red blood cells, helps prevent fatigue (tiredness) and protects us from disease.

d. Sulfur

Helps keep our skin, hair, and nails healthy and maintains healthy oxygen levels in our brain.

e. Zinc

Helps with DNA production, converting protein into energy, and helps fight colds

  Supplement Facts  

  Serving Size 1 Tablet  

 

  Each Tablet Contains % Daily Value  

 

  Vitamin A 3500 IU (29% as Beta-Carotene) 70%  

  Vitamin C 60 mg 100%  

  Vitamin D 400 IU 100%  

  Vitamin E 30 IU 100%  

  Vitamin K 25 mcg 31%  

  Thiamin 1.5 mg 100%  

  Riboflavin 1.7 mg 100%  

  Niacin 20 mg 100%  

  Vitamin B6 2 mg 100%  

  Folic Acid 400 mcg 100%  

  Vitamin B12 6 mcg 100%  

  Biotin 30 mcg 10%  

  Pantothenic Acid 10 mg 100%  

  Calcium 200 mg 20%  

  Iron 18 mg 100%  

  Phosphorus 20 mg 2%  

  Iodine 150 mcg 100%  

  Magnesium 50 mg 13%  

  Zinc 11 mg 73%  

  Selenium 55 mcg 79%  

  Copper 0.5 mg 25%  

  Manganese 2.3 mg 115%  

  Chromium 35 mcg 29%  

  Molybdenum 45 mcg 60%  

  Chloride 72 mg 2%  

  Potassium 80 mg 2%  

 

  Boron 75 mcg *  

  Nickel 5 mcg *  

  Silicon 2 mg *  

  Tin 10 mcg *  

  Vanadium 10 mcg *  

 

  * Daily Value not established.  

Review

1. What do we call rare and beautiful minerals?

A: Gems

Review

2. What do we call a mineral that can be mined at a profit?

A: Ore

Review

3. What are some ways that minerals are useful to humans?

A: Minerals have beauty, industry and health uses.