Brown axinite blades with pink rhodonite from Peru with mirror reflection.
Close-up of sharp brown axinite crystals on pink rhodonite from Peru.
Macro photograph of translucent brown axinite blades from Peru.

Axinite on Rhodonite

Axinite-(Fe) – Ca4Fe2+2Al4[B2Si8O30](OH)2
Elements: Calcium, Iron, Aluminum, Boron, Silicon, Oxygen, Hydrogen
Class: Silicates – Cyclosilicates
Crystal System: Triclinic
Hardness: 6.5-7
Quartz
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Very hard. Scratches glass and steel.
Rhodonite – CaMn3Mn(Si5O15)
Elements: Calcium, Manganese, Silicon, Oxygen
Class: Silicates – Inosilicates
Crystal System: Triclinic
Hardness: 5.5-6.5
Orthoclase
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Scratches glass. Harder than a steel knife.
Origin: Pachapaki Mining District, Ancash – Peru
Did you know?

Axinite is named from the Greek for axe, after its sharp wedge-shaped crystals. Heat or squeeze one and it builds a small electric charge, a property called pyroelectricity.

Rose-pink rhodonite was a favorite stone of the Russian court, carved into vases and even a vast imperial sarcophagus. The same stone later faced columns in the Moscow metro, carrying a tsarist luxury down into the public subway.

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