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What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?
For many people, the concepts of "rock" and "mineral" are not distinguishable. All minerals and mineral aggregates are used to call the capacious word "stone", without going into details what exactly is meant.
Let's start by analyzing the concepts of "rock" and "mineral."
Rock - an aggregate consisting of one or more mineral species and / or fragments of other rocks, composing the earth's crust. An example is dolomite, marble, granite.
A mineral is a chemical compound or chemical element (in the case of native ones), uniform in composition and structure, which is the result of a geological process. For example - beryl, quartz, topaz.
That is, a mineral is an integral part of the rock. And this is their difference.
The methods of studying rocks and minerals differ.
Minerals are an area of study of mineralogy and gemology, and they can be studied without destruction, based on physicochemical properties and microscopic features. However, there are exceptions.
The study of rocks is the science of petrology. And in order for the breed to be diversely investigated, it is necessary to make a thin section (thin cut) and examine it using a special petrographic microscope.
В геммологической практике бывают весьма увлекательные случаи с диагностикой ювелирных вставок
Но помимо редкости цвета и высокой стоимости таких камней, многие розовые камни выделяются одной замечательной особенностью – они проявляют плеохроизм, то есть в зависимости от положения осмотра камня он может иметь дополнительные оттенки – оранжевый или пурпурный.
Currently, gemstones are produced by two fundamentally different technological methods - the High Pressure - High Temperature method (“HPHT”, High-pressure & High-temperature) and the Chemical Vapor Deposition (“CVD”, Chemical vapor deposition) method. The "HPHT" method is the most tested classical synthesis method, which can be used both carbon deposition on diamond from flux melts and catalytic reactions. In "CVD" synthesis, diamond growth occurs on a seed during carbon deposition mainly from a gaseous medium at relatively low temperatures and pressures.
Jewelry and precious stones are just such a category of goods, when buying which you need to pay attention to many criteria.
Sogdianite is a rather rare mineral and more often it can be found as a collection material (moreover, in systematic collections), and it is extremely rare in jewelry.