Kornerupine

Kornerupine is a rare boro-silicate mineral with the chemical formula. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic – dipyramidal crystal system as brown, green, yellow to colorless slender tourmaline like prisms or in massive fibrous forms. It has a Mohs hardness of 7 and a specific gravity of 3.3 to 3.34. Its indices of refraction are nα=1.660 – 1.671, nβ=1.673 – 1.683 and nγ=1.674 – 1.684.
It occurs in boron-rich volcanic and sedimentary rocks which have undergone high grade metamorphism. It is also found in metamorphosed anorthosite complexes.
Kornerupine is valued as a gemstone when it is found in translucent green to yellow shades. The emerald green varieties are especially sought after. It forms a solid solution series with prismatine. Strongly pleochroic, it appears green or reddish brown when viewed from different directions. It has a vitreous luster.
It was first described in 1884 for an occurrence in Fiskernæs in southwest Greenland. It was named in honor of the Danish geologist . Although kornerupine was named in 1884, it was not until 1912 that gem-quality material was found and it remains uncommon to this day.
Deposits are found in Burma, Canada, Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and South Africa.