Bowenite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bowenite is a hard, compact variety of antigorite serpentine found in Rhode Island, and several other places throughout the world. Bowenite typically ranges in colour from a dark forest green to a light olive green with shades approaching yellow. As a naturally occurring mineral, there are occasionally insignificant specks or traces of other colours scattered in the formation.
It was named for G.T. Bowen, who analyzed it in 1822.
Rhode Island adopted bowenite as its state mineral in 1966.
Prior to 1989 the only known sources were in Afghanistan, New Zealand and China, and, most significantly, it was available only in very small quantities and sizes. Before a larger deposit was discovered in South Africa in the latter part of 1989, the largest known artifact made of bowenite was a carving approximately 14 inches in size, which resides in the National Museum of China.
In New Zealand it the Māori considered bowenite a form of pounaumu along with nephrite jade, and used it for tools, weapons and ornaments.
It is also found near Steinkopf in Northern Africa, but low demand and low world prices have made it uneconomical to mine.
Bowenite has, on occasion, been used as a substitute for nephrite jade. In most cases the only way to distinguish between the two gemstones is to test the specific gravity. The bowenite sources in China are situated in the Soochow region, which accounts for its also being known as "Soochow Jade". Even among geologists bowenite is not a familiar stone because of its rarity and attendant lack of publicity.
[edit] Uses
Bowenite's thin crystalline structure has tempted nano technologists and microchip researchers to review its suitability for applications within these new technology industries.
[edit] References
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