Aventurine is a type of quartz, which is the planet's most common kind of mineral. Aventurine can be opaque or translucent and comes in various colors.
Colors
Aventurine is typically green in color but can also be yellow, red-brown, blue-green, orange or silvery. It has what jewelers call inclusions, small flecks of other minerals that help it to reflect light and give it its range of colors.
Geography
The mineral exists in large quantities in countries such as Brazil, India, Japan, China, Russia and Tanzania. Some aventurine deposits also exist in Rutland, Vermont.
Hardness
On the Moh's scale, a range from one to ten that depict the hardness of a mineral, aventurine rates a 6.5.
Uses
Inexpensive jewelry often features aventurine and the stone is the traditional gift for couples celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary, according to AllThatGifts.com.
Legends
Some gamblers carry aventurine for good luck and some legends associated with the mineral say it has calming properties.
Misconceptions
Aventurine is often mistaken for other green minerals, such as jade and amazonite.
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