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Barite
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Barite (or Baryte) is the mineral source of
Barium. Its name comes from the Greek word “Barys”, meaning “Heavy”,
as it is unusually heavy for a nonmetallic mineral.
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The crystals are often
large and are normally tabular and sometimes prismatic, giving a
diamond shaped outline. Tabular crystals of Barite can form a
concentric pattern of increasingly larger crystals outward. This has
the appearance of a flower and when colored red by iron stains, these
formations are called "Desert Roses".
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Barite gemstones are only faceted for
collectors, making fine specimens exceedingly rare. Barite comes in
several colors including white, red, blue, yellow, green and brown.
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Barite is found in the UK, France, Germany, England, Italy, Romania,
Czech Republic and U.S.A.
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