GEM KNOWLEDGE · LABORATORY NOTES
Rhodonite in Quartz
A bracelet of clear quartz beads with pink manganese-silicate inclusions was examined to identify the material behind the color.
Tested specimen: 10473 (#5) · Report completed: January 18, 2024.
Key finding: The beads are quartz. The pink inclusions are a manganese silicate; rhodonite is the researcher’s most likely identification, though pyroxferroite was also considered.
Reading the result
The analysis supports the name “Rhodonite in Quartz” as the most likely interpretation, with a stated limit: the laboratory considered rhodonite, pyroxferroite, and tephroite, and favored rhodonite on the silicon-to-manganese relationship and its greater occurrence. The report did not conclusively distinguish rhodonite from pyroxferroite in the tested inclusions.
Paler, smaller grains in the quartz showed the same manganese and silicon composition in additional spots and may be a paler expression of the inclusions.
View the original test results
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This report applies to the tested specimens. Report images are property of Soul Body Gems, Alexander Falster, and the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum; please acknowledge all three when referring to these results.
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 (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. 4: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 2 (manganese silicate)
Read the report findings as text
Sample 10473 (#5), completed January 18, 2024. Figure 1 shows a bracelet with quartz beads around 7.5 mm maximum dimension. Figures 2–4 document quartz and pink manganese-silicate inclusions. The report considers rhodonite, pyroxferroite, or tephroite and says rhodonite is most likely, while retaining uncertainty. The manganese-silicate trace elements include calcium 0.6, iron 0.02, and magnesium 0.7 wt.%.
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: 10473 (#5)
Submitted by: Soul Body Gems
Date completed: 1-18-2024
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 Titan X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was also used and operated for 30 seconds at 50, 25, and 10 kV.
Fig. 1: Photograph of the specimen. Approximately 7.5 mm maximum dimension of the beads.
Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2 (quartz)
Fig. 4: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 2 (manganese silicate)
Table 1: minor and trace elements in the manganese silicate.
| Element | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Calcium | 0.6 |
| Iron | 0.02 |
| Magnesium | 0.7 |
Summary of findings: This specimen (Fig. 1) is a pretty wristlet of colorless beads of quartz (Figs. 2 and 3) with pink inclusions of a manganese silicate (Figs. 2 and 4). The trace elements are mainly magnesium and calcium with very little iron. The pink inclusions are either rhodonite, pyroxferroite or tephroite. It is more likely to be rhodonite or pyroxferroite since the Si-Mn ratio shows a higher Si peak than would be typical for tephroite but rhodonite out of the two choice is most likely since it is much more common. I noticed some very pale grains in the quartz and checked a dozen more spots, but each sowed the same composition with manganese and silicon. Possibly, they are a paler colored rhodonite and they tended to be smaller than the pink inclusions.
Date: January 18. 2024 Signature
