icelandspar453

ICELAND SPAR:

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Hardness 3.0.

Occurrence Worldwide.

Appearance Transparent and colorless. Iceland spar shows off calcite's birefractiveness very well. Iceland spar is used in the optics industry for its transparency and ability to split images. It can be used to determine the distance to an object viewed through it, and was used in the bombsights of world war II bombers. Because of calcite's softness, it should be used in jewelry only where it won't be subject to abuse, and great care should be taken with any calcite specimen. It is generally faceted only for collectors. Enhancements

Calcite is not enhanced.

An optically clear form of calcite, originally from Iceland, but may occur anywhere. Originally reported from Helgustadir Mine, Eskifjord, Iceland.

"The Mineral Iceland Spar"

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