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Cassiterite
 

	The primary ore of Tin, most sources of Cassiterite today are not primary deposits but alluvial deposits containing weathered grains.
	Cassiterite’s name comes from the Phoenician word for tin “Cassiterid” (Greek equivalent: “Kassiteros”), which referred generically to the islands of England and Ireland. In fact, around the 6th Century BC, Carthage (the greatest Phoenician colony) tried to rule the tin monopoly by importing tin ores directly from the original areas of extraction, the "Tin Islands" (i.e. Cassiterid islands) known today as England.
	Cassiterite has been an important tin ore for eons and is still the greatest source of tin today. During the Bronze Age it was added to molten copper to form bronze. Some of the oldest Cassiterite mines, such as those in Cornwall England have been worked since 2000BC and are now exhausted.

In addition to its industrial use, Cassiterite is also used as a gemstone. It needs polishing to bring out is high luster which in combination with its multiple crystal faces causes a nice sparkle.
 

Large cut Cassiterites of more than one Carat are exceedingly rare. Common colors include black, reddish brown and yellow, and Cassiterite is found in Boliva, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Russia and Spain.