- Saussurite
Saussurite is a
mineral aggregate which is formed as ahydrothermal alteration product ofplagioclase feldspar . It appears very similar tozoisite with a green or grayish-green color, it has been used as a substitute or simulant forjade .Sassurite is not however recognized as a true mineral because it is a microscopic mixture of several other minerals, zoisite,
epidote ,sericite ,albite or other sodium rich feldspar along with possiblyscapolite . The use of microscopicrefractive index data andX-ray diffraction patterns are needed to distinguish some saussurite simulants from true jade.It was named after the Swiss explorer
Horace Benedict de Saussure , who discovered it on the slopes ofMont Blanc .References
* [http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/zoisite.htm Dietrich, R. V., 2005, "Zoisite"]
* [http://www.gia.edu/newsroom/issue/2798/2392/insider_newsletter_details.cfm#3 Insider Gemologist: What Are the Identifying Characteristics of These Green Gems?, July 15, 2005]
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