GEM KNOWLEDGE · LABORATORY NOTES
Aragonite (Pakistan)
Blue-green aragonite crystals on a limestone matrix. X-ray diffraction matches aragonite. The report attributes the color to small amounts of iron and copper and records 2.47 wt. % strontium in the aragonite.
Tested specimen: 10624 (printed header labels it #11 axinite) · Report completed: September 10, 2024
Supplied locality: Pakistan. Locality is supplied background, not independently established by the analysis.
What the report shows
Blue aragonite and blue calcite may be confused in market descriptions. Here, the tested crystal spray is aragonite and the gray matrix is limestone. The original header appears to contain a copied specimen label; the images and findings concern aragonite, and this report is kept separate from the axinite report.
View the original report
Select any report page to enlarge it. A text transcript is available below.
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 (calcium carbonate, aragonite)
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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 (calcium carbonate, calcite)
Read the report transcript
Analytical Result Report
Sample id: 10624 (#11 axinite)
Submitted by: Soul Body Gems
Date completed: 9-10-2024
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.
A Bruker D2-Phaser X-ray diffractometer was alos used in the investigation and operated under 35 kV and 10 mA.
Fig. 1: Photograph of the specimen. Approximately 55 mm maximum dimension.
Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2 (calcium carbonate, aragonite)
Fig. 4: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 2 (calcium carbonate, calcite)
Fig. 4: X-ray diffration scan with matching aragonite stick pattern.
Summary of findings: This specimen (Fig. 1) is a blue-green aragonite spray on limestone (Figs. 2-5). A small iron and copper content (<0.15 wt. %) gives it the color. The gray matrix is limestone. Interesting to note is that the aragonite contains 2.47 wt. % strontium whereas the limestone is much lower in strontium (0.05 wt. %).
Date: 9-10-2024 Signature