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Uses of Silver in Electronics
The number one use of silver in industry is in electronics. Silver’s unsurpassed thermal and electrical conductivity among metals means it cannot easily be replaced by less expensive materials. For example, small quantities of silver are used as contacts in electrical switches: join the contacts, and the switch is on; separate them and the switch…
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The White Metal
Silver, the white metal, has an illustrious reputation for its use in jewelry and coins, but today, silver’s primary use is industrial. Whether in cell phones or solar panels, new innovations are constantly emerging to take advantage of silver’s unique properties. Silver is a precious metal because it is rare and valuable, and it is a…
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Physical Properties of Vanadinite
Vanadinite has a number of properties which, when considered together, usually make it easy to identify. It often occurs as brightly colored crystals that are usually short, tabular hexagonal prisms with a resinous to adamantine luster. It is most often bright yellow, orange, red or brown in color. It can also occur in globular forms and…
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What is Vanadinite?
Vanadinite is a mineral composed of vanadium, lead, oxygen, and chlorine. It has a chemical composition of Pb5(VO4)3Cl. It is an important ore of vanadium and a minor source of lead. Vanadinite usually forms where lead minerals are oxidized, often in areas with an arid climate. It is not a common mineral, but it is found in small quantities…
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Blue Kyanite – Green Kyanite
Most gemstone-quality kyanite is blue in color. However, kyanite can be clear, green, black, and rarely purple. Some kyanite gemstones are pleochroic (appear to be different colors when viewed from different directions). Blue kyanite stones can be found in a continuous color range between clear and dark blue. The most popular kyanite gemstones are transparent…
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Kyanite Gemstones are Challenging to Cut
Kyanite is a challenging mineral to cut because it has two distinctly different hardnesses. Kyanite crystals are typically long, narrow blades. They have a hardness of about 4.5 parallel to their length but a hardness of 6.5 to 7.0 across the width of the blade. Skilled cutters are needed to work these stones.
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Kyanite Use as a Gemstone
Kyanite is a gemstone that you will rarely encounter in the typical jewelry store. Most people have not heard of kyanite, as it is infrequently used in jewelry. It is an “exotic” gem. Perhaps that is what makes it so interesting? If you are interested in kyanite as a gemstone or in jewelry, the best place to find…
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Expansion of Kyanite When Heated
Kyanite, unlike most other minerals, can expand significantly when heated. Depending upon particle size, temperatures, and heating conditions, kyanite can expand to up to twice its original volume when heated. This expansion is predictable. In the manufacture of certain refractory products, specific amounts of kyanite are added to the raw material (which shrinks during heating)…
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Use in Abrasive Products
Kyanite’s heat resistance and hardness make it an excellent material for use in the manufacture of grinding wheels and cutting wheels. It is not used as the primary abrasive; instead, it is used as part of the binding agent that holds the abrasive particles together in the shape of a wheel.
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Use in High-Refractory-Strength Porcelain
Kyanite has properties that make it exceptionally well suited for the manufacture of a high-refractory-strength porcelain – a porcelain that holds its strength at very high temperatures. A familiar use of this type of porcelain is the white porcelain insulator on a spark plug. Kyanite is also used in some of the more common forms…