(via Gemmology Queensland, Vol.4,No.2, February 2003) Hiroshi Kitawaki writes:
We have increasingly encountered natural blue hemimorphite recently. Some of these seem to be easily confused with smithsonite, and this month we are comparing the gemological characteristics of these two stones.
Hemimorphite
The name Hemimorphite was derived from the form of the crystals of this mineral that shows distinct hemimorphism (in which both terminations show different forms). Its Japanese name is Ikyoku-Kou. The mineral is orthorhombic. It is not durable, as its hardness is low at about 4½ to 5 on Mohs scale. However, those hemimorphites with beautiful color, or pronounced transparency, are often cut for jewelry. Colorless, blue, yellow or brown are common, but cabochoned blue stones are more popular these days. The RI of hemimorphite is about 1.61-1.64 with DR 0.022. Its SG is 3.4 to 3.5, and it is inert to UV with no particular feature in the spectrum. Fibrous crystals of hemimorphite characteristically appear striped when examined magnification.
Smithsonite
Smithsonite was named after the mineralogist J Smithson who contributed financially to the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, USA. The mineral is named Ryo-Aen-Icou in Japanese, which relates to its chemical composition. Smithsonite is a trigonal mineral, and it is isomorphous with calcite. Although the stone, like hemimorphite, possesses low hardness of 4 to 4½, pose a challenge to its durability. Smithsonites with beautiful colors such as blue, pink, green or yellow will be cabochoned or even faceted. The RI is around 1.62-1.84 and it has a large DR of 0.037. Its SG is 4.3 to 4.5.
When comparing the features of the minerals described above, a SG test will be the most useful way to distinguish them. When use of SG test is restricted due to the presence of setting, elemental analysis or infrared spectral analysis by FTIR will provide you with discriminatory information.
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