Home   Gemology    Gemstones     Zoisite

ZOISITE

Overview:

Zoisite is named after Austrian scientist Baron Sigmund Zois von Edelstein (Baron von Zois) who discovered the mineral in the Sau-Alp mountains of Austria in 1805. Zoisite is a calcium aluminium hydroxy silicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals.


Zoisite was first known as Saualpite after its type locality.The mineral crystalizes in othorhombic system, is usually gray although it can be brownish, greenish, or bluish.



Usage:

Wearing Zoisite can work like a mantra, gently calling you back to what you really want to be doing. Strengthens heart, energy, adrenals and reproductive Chakra. It relieves lethargy and boosts physical energy. It offers stamina to the mental processes, facilitating advancements of the wearer's goals. Stimulates the mind and powerfully amplifying both mental and psychic talents.

Physical Properties:

Zoisite

Zoisite Birthstone

Color
blue, violet, green, brown, pink, yellow, gray, colourless
Hardness
6
Specific Gravity
3.10-3.38
Chemistry
Calcium-aluminium silicate
Refractive Index
1.69-1.70

Legend:

In 1894 it was found by the mineral dealer Simon Prešern at the Svinška Planina in Carinthia. It was brought to Sigmund Zois, who determined the until then unknown mineral and informed European minerologists. In 1985, after full investigations, it was named Zoisite.

Occurrence:

Tanzania (tanzanite), Kenya (anyolite), Norway (thulite), Switzerland, Austria, India, Pakistan, and the USA.