Attractive yellow to light greenish yellow gem scapolites have been mined from a skarn deposit near the town of Ihosy, in southern Madagascar, since the late 1990s. Chemical analysis indicates that the scapolites have a mostly meionite content, with lesser amounts of marialite and a small percentage of silvialite. These results are agreeable with the RI measurements and IR spectra. Inclusions were identified as diopside, garnet (andradite-grossular), and mica (probably phlogopite) consistent with the minerals accompanying scapolite in Ihosy skarns. The samples’ UV fluorescence appears to be distinctive from that of commercially available scapolites from other localities.
Attractive yellow to light greenish yellow gem scapolites have been mined from a skarn deposit near the town of Ihosy, in southern Madagascar, since the late 1990s. Chemical analysis indicates that the scapolites have a mostly meionite content, with lesser amounts of marialite and a small percentage of silvialite. These results are agreeable with the RI measurements and IR spectra. Inclusions were identified as diopside, garnet (andradite-grossular), and mica (probably phlogopite) consistent with the minerals accompanying scapolite in Ihosy skarns. The samples’ UV fluorescence appears to be distinctive from that of commercially available scapolites from other localities.
