help to identify this blue mineral please

[Anyalisa]

Hello everyone,
I found this beautiful stone years around 13 years ago - its been in storage since then and now I'd really like to identify the lovely blue coloured stone trapped in this white igneous?? rock. It looks alot like molten blue glass as some has spread over the surface rock however there are also deeper parts which show such a gorgeous deep blue colour.The mineral penetrates the white rock with blue turning to transparent glassy veins. Its also very sharp to touch.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts and thanks in advance for your help.

 

[WinkHPD]

Site ID's are the bane of gemologists every where. If you guess and are wrong every one thinks you are an idiot. If you guess and get it right, everyone thinks you are a genius until the next one or the one after that where you get it wrong and you go instantly to the top of the "idiot" list.

Have you louped the material to see if it contains swirl lines which would indicate that it is a glassy substance? There are natural glasses found that contain these marks. My first thought on seeing this stone is that it looks "glassy" and that would be the first thing that I would test for visually. It is too pretty to do a destructive test on unless you were thinking of having the deeper area faceted.

Once you have done a good louping, preferably with some light coming through the material if you can get it, let us know what you see. Perhaps we can give you some hints on what to look for, but it is hard enough to do site ID's when you are in the presence of the gem. Via picture it is WAY more difficult.

Wink

 

[Anyalisa]

Thanks for your reply Wink, Can you please explain what 'Louping' is? My internet search has brought up no clues..

 

[Anyalisa]

My daughter just told me what louping is.. so Ive had a good look with a magnifying glass, the mineral seems quite clear but with striations but hard to get a really good view, i think there may be some bubbles between the mineral and the carrier rock.

 

[WinkHPD]

Are the striations curved or wavey? If so I am going to make an educated guess that this is some kind of glass. it could be natural or man made, but certainly it looks like it is probably natural depending on where you found the specimen. The bubbles are further indication that it could be glass.

And that is as far as I dare to go with out personal examination.

Wink

 

[arkieb1]

It could be a piece of blue calcite. But I guess I could be wrong. I think this because I own a piece of orange calcite that looks similar except its bright orange, my orange piece looks glassy too but that doesn't make it obsidian (volcanic glass) real or otherwise.... It also has milky white bits around it too. I could send a pic to my mother in law she would probably give you a list of what it is most likely to be.

Which part of it is sharp the white parts or the blue parts?

Where did you get it from? Identifying the area it comes from should help identify what it is.

 

[Anyalisa]

Hi, Its the blue bits which are very sharp - the white bit is, in areas quite easy to rub off producing large white sandy grains, where in other parts its very hard and 'glassy' - (a bit like granite or quartz), - this part of the rock is impregnated with the mineral - there certainly are veins of the glassy material running through the rock - rather oddly, the blue turns to transparent inside the rock.
In answer to Wink - the glass does seem to be wavy where the glass material has split on the surface. So after much 'louping' I'd say it was glass too. I have been trying to find another specimen of blue natural glass on the web but have turned up nothing.

I have tried hard to think where I found this specimen and all I can remember is that it was totally alone - There were no other rocks like it where ever I found it. However here are three possibilities - Robins Hood Bay in the north of England - ( where fossils are literally falling out of the sea cliffs) - Israel - in the northern Galilee Region or costal South Vietnam.
Gosh what a conundrum.. shame its not corundum...

thanks alot for helping

 

[WinkHPD]

You are welcome, it is a beautiful piece!

No matter what it is, or where it came from, it should be enjoyed!

Wink

 

[Anyalisa]

I always consider it a 'gift' - its lovely - so clear and the colour is heavenly. Next time Im in Manchester - Ill take it to the Manchester University museum - they have a great mineral collection - theres bound to be some boffin who can tell me what it is.. ( I hope) Thanks again for your help x

 

[Winks_Elf]

*Double post deleted*

 

[Winks_Elf]

Impossible to tell from a picture without the benefit of using a loupe or microscope, but the color reminds me very much of Benitoite.