Sulfate minerals
Minerals whose principal anionic group is sulfate.
What this family is
Chemistry alone gathers celestite, barite, gypsum, scheelite and the blue material traded as Angelite. Angelite is neither a gypsum variety nor a separate mineral species, and the material must be given as anhydrite, CaSO4. Barite combines low hardness with high density; gypsum’s hardness is extremely low and its water resistance poor, so jewellery use is usually limited to selenite and satin spar.
Scope of this family
Minerals whose principal anionic group is sulfate.
Representative members (3)
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
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type of name | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Anhydrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A commercial colour name for blue anhydrite sold as "Angelite"; the material should be labelled anhydrite, not Gypsum. |
Member entries (4)
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 j, special-care code k. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.
Names
- 简体中文
- 硫酸盐矿物
- 繁體中文
- 硫酸鹽礦物
- English
- Sulfate minerals
- 日本語
- 硫酸塩鉱物
Authority source
- Authority source
- Review status
- Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.
Distribution across the other axes
All 4 members share these values:
- Origin class
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Mineral chemical class
- Sulfates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown