Other silicate minerals

What this family is

Nothing that already has a dedicated category comes here; what remains is the silicate minerals, groups and gem varieties left over once those five are taken out. Jadeite, the pyroxene species, belongs to this family, while the aggregate Fei Cui is dealt with as a jade.

Pyroxene cannot be given one fixed formula, chlorite is not a single species, and tremolite and actinolite are species within the amphibole group.

Scope of this family

Silicate minerals, mineral groups or gem varieties other than the dedicated quartz, feldspar, beryl, tourmaline and garnet categories.

Representative members (51)

The standard materials in this family: mineral species, varieties, rocks and other materials whose name identifies what they are. Trade names are listed separately below.

Common confusions

Names in this family that do not by themselves say what the material is, and man-made or assembled products recorded against its materials. Each line says what the item actually is.

Trade names in this family

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Name	Type of name	What it actually is
Coated Topaz	Trade name: colour / appearance variety	Topaz with a thin surface film applied to create colour or special effects. Coating is a treatment, so it must be disclosed before the name; a trade name such as Mystic alone is not enough.
Imperial Topaz	Trade name: colour / appearance variety	A commercial variety name for Topaz in medium reddish-orange to orange-red tones, with no strict colour-grade boundaries; heating, irradiation and coating must all be disclosed.
Irradiated Blue Topaz	Trade name: colour / appearance variety	Colourless topaz turned blue by irradiation (often followed by heating); Swiss, London and Sky blue are trade colour grades, and the treatment must be disclosed.
Larimar	Trade name: geographic / origin-linked name	A trade name for blue to blue-green pectolite; the basic mineral name is Pectolite, and larimar itself is not a separate mineral species.

Synthetic, assembled or treated counterparts

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Name	Counterpart of	What it actually is
Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade	Jadeite	A polycrystalline aggregate composed mainly of Jadeite, which may contain omphacite and Kosmochlor; its GB/T basic name is Fei Cui.
Hetian Yu / Nephrite	Tremolite	A variety name listed under Nephrite in GB/T 16552-2017 Table A.2, made mainly of tremolite–actinolite aggregate; the name does not prove origin.
Lapis Lazuli	Lazurite	A rock composed mainly of the mineral lazurite, often with calcite and pyrite; its basic name in Table A.2 of GB/T 16552—2017 is “lapis lazuli”.
Mica Jade	Muscovite	A jade-like aggregate made mainly of mica-group minerals. Its basic name in GB/T 16552-2017 Table A.2 is "mica jade", and no single chemical formula can be given.
Nephrite	Tremolite	A jade composed mainly of tremolite and actinolite; its basic name in Table A.2 of GB/T 16552-2017 is “nephrite”.

Member entries (55)

Treatments recorded on member entries

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Treatment	Member entries	Disclosure requirement
Heated / Heat-treated	Andalusite, Chiastolite, Coated Topaz, Imperial Topaz, Irradiated Blue Topaz, Jadeite, Tanzanite, Topaz, Zircon, Zoisite	Heating is a common treatment, and acceptance varies by material. Whether heated ruby or sapphire must be declared separately depends on which code is followed (see the comparison on this page); unstable colour or foreign residues must be disclosed.
Filled / Fracture-filled	Charoite, Jadeite, Kyanite, Lepidolite, Muscovite, Sugilite	Name the filler (resin, oil, polymer, glass or lead glass) and bear in mind that fillings can be unstable and may deteriorate or change colour over time. LMHC Information Sheet #3 treats corundum with glass in two ways: glass in fissures or cavities is still reported on natural corundum as a filling, and only a badly fractured single piece infused throughout, or small fragments bound together with glass, is reported as a manufactured product.
Diffusion-treated	Coated Topaz, Imperial Topaz, Irradiated Blue Topaz, Topaz	Must be disclosed. Surface diffusion produces colour only in a thin layer that repolishing can remove; bulk diffusion is permanent but still requires disclosure.
Irradiated	Coated Topaz, Euclase, Imperial Topaz, Irradiated Blue Topaz, Kunzite, Scapolite, Spodumene, Topaz, Zircon	Must be disclosed. Stability under irradiation varies by material: irradiated blue topaz keeps a stable colour and irradiated smoky quartz or coloured diamond can, but in some materials the irradiated colour fades in light or heat; colour stability must be pointed out.
Dyed	Chlorite, Jadeite, Kyanite, Sugilite, Talc	Must be disclosed. Dye may fade, bleed or dissolve in solvents (alcohol, acetone), and dyed material must not be labelled "natural colour"; dyed jadeite counts as B/C jade and must be conspicuously labelled; dyed agate and chalcedony are extremely common.
Bleached	Jadeite	Bleaching may affect the durability of the material. Codes differ on whether routine pearl bleaching needs its own declaration (compare the rows on this page); chemical bleaching that changes the structure, or bleaching followed by impregnation, must be disclosed.
Coated	Coated Topaz, Imperial Topaz, Irradiated Blue Topaz, Jadeite, Lepidolite, Muscovite, Talc, Tanzanite, Topaz, Zoisite	Must be disclosed. Coatings may be abraded, flake off or discolour, and coating is not a permanent enhancement; the coating material must be disclosed (e.g. Mystic Topaz is coated topaz), and the treated effect must not be implied to be natural.
Impregnated	Haüyne, Jadeite	Must be disclosed. Where the impregnation also brings colour, as in jadeite that has been acid-treated and then impregnated with polymer and colour, or Zachery-treated turquoise, the colouring is part of what has to be declared.

Care codes on member entries

Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code a, special-care code b, special-care code c, special-care code e, special-care code f, special-care code h, special-care code i, special-care code j, special-care code k, special-care code m, special-care code n. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.

Where members are recorded

Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.

Names

简体中文: 其他硅酸盐矿物
繁體中文: 其他矽酸鹽礦物
English: Other silicate minerals
日本語: その他のケイ酸塩鉱物

Authority source

Authority source

Review status

Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.

Distribution across the other axes

All 55 members share these values:

Origin class: Natural materials
Material domain: Natural inorganic gem materials
Mineral chemical class: Silicates

Identity level

Construction or treatment status

Natural identity; treatment status unknown (52)
Natural; common industry optimization (verify with certificate) (3)