GEM KNOWLEDGE · LABORATORY NOTES
African Metamorphic Rock
Material sold as seraphinite that instead tested as a coarse-grained calc-silicate metamorphic rock.
Sample: 1129. Completed: January 29, 2025.
What the testing found
The report identifies calcite, quartz and a pyroxene-group composition dominated by enstatite, with lesser wollastonite and a small ferrosilite component as described by the researcher. X-ray mapping shows the intergrown minerals. This tested sphere is not identified as seraphinite.
Seraphinite is retained here as the market name under which this material was sold. This report concerns a mislabeled specimen; a fuller account of genuine Russian seraphinite will be added separately.
Also listed as: African Metamorphic Rock · Seraphinite (NOT)
View the original test results
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These results are the property of Soul Body Gems, Alexander Falster, and the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. Any mention requires full acknowledgment.
Understanding the report figures
Use this guide alongside the written findings and the original report transcript. It explains the purpose of each analytical figure and preserves the laboratory’s own figure labels. The interpretations apply to the tested specimen; signals alone do not establish the identity of every similar-looking stone.
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Electron microscope image: This view shows small-scale regions selected for analysis. Its brightness contrast helps distinguish regions with different compositions; it is not a photograph of their natural colors. Numbered spots connect this view to the analyses listed in the report.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
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Elemental spectrum: The peaks record characteristic X-ray signals from elements in the analyzed spot or area. This is an analysis of that location, not automatically of the entire specimen. Any mineral identification or uncertainty named in the laboratory caption is retained below.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2. (calcite)
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Elemental spectrum: The peaks record characteristic X-ray signals from elements in the analyzed spot or area. This is an analysis of that location, not automatically of the entire specimen. Any mineral identification or uncertainty named in the laboratory caption is retained below.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 4: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 2. (quartz)
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Elemental spectrum: The peaks record characteristic X-ray signals from elements in the analyzed spot or area. This is an analysis of that location, not automatically of the entire specimen. Any mineral identification or uncertainty named in the laboratory caption is retained below.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 5: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 4 in Fig. 2. (pyroxene)
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Element map: This map shows where the named elements occur within the analyzed area. Its colors represent the laboratory’s selected element channels, rather than the specimen’s visible colors. The caption below preserves any color key or distribution noted by the laboratory.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 6: X-ray map of the area shown in Fig. 2. Silicon: yellow, magnesium: red, calcium: blue.
Read the original laboratory report as text
The following text and tables are transcribed from the original laboratory document. Figure captions identify the report images; the laboratory interpretations and limitations are preserved.
Laboratory report 1
Analytical Result Report
Sample id: 1129 (#3, sphere)
Submitted by: Soul Body Gems
Date completed: 1-29-2025
Operating conditions: An AMRAY 1830 SEM operated at 25 kV acceleration potential, 24 mm working distance, 0 degrees sample tilt, coated with 250 Å carbon, and also using the attached XRF unit operated at 30 kV.
Photograph of the specimen. Approximately 5 cm across.
Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2. (calcite)
Fig. 4: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 2. (quartz)
Fig. 5: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 4 in Fig. 2. (pyroxene)
Fig. 6: X-ray map of the area shown in Fig. 2. Silicon: yellow, magnesium: red, calcium: blue.
Summary of findings: This specimen (Fig. 1) is pretty. It consists of calcite (Figs. 2 and 3), quartz (Figs. 2 and 4) and a pyroxene group species with enstatite dominant and lesser amounts of wollastonite and a small amount of ferrosilite. The X-ray map (Fig. 6) shows the intergrowth. The minerals are coarse grained, this is essentially a calc silicate type of rock, a metamorphic rock.
Date: 1-29-2025 Signature