<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The authors present the history of chrysoprase discovery and the progress of knowledge about this material over the millennia, based on the extended review of world literature. Tracing the oldest archaeological artifacts from before 9,000 years, the lens of history turns on a stone that has not been properly identified mineralogically for centuries. In the 1830s, chrysoprase was finally included into the chalcedony group and its green color was associated, very correctly, with nickel compounds dispersed in its structure. After all, the most current mineralogy of chrysoprase is presented on the basis of the results of modern analytical studies. These data clearly indicate that chrysoprase is a mixture of several SiO<sub>2</sub> polymorphs with varying degrees of structural order (opal, chalcedony, moganite, quartz). This radically changes the previous taxonomy of chrysoprase and its position in current mineralogical and petrographic systematics.</p>
</abstract>

The authors present the history of chrysoprase discovery and the progress of knowledge about this material over the millennia, based on the extended review of world literature. Tracing the oldest archaeological artifacts from before 9,000 years, the lens of history turns on a stone that has not been properly identified mineralogically for centuries. In the 1830s, chrysoprase was finally included into the chalcedony group and its green color was associated, very correctly, with nickel compounds dispersed in its structure. After all, the most current mineralogy of chrysoprase is presented on the basis of the results of modern analytical studies. These data clearly indicate that chrysoprase is a mixture of several SiO2 polymorphs with varying degrees of structural order (opal, chalcedony, moganite, quartz). This radically changes the previous taxonomy of chrysoprase and its position in current mineralogical and petrographic systematics.

Chrysoprase – history and present

Mineralogia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Chrysoprase \u2013 history and present"}

The authors present the history of chrysoprase discovery and the progress of knowledge about this material over the millennia, based on the extended review of...

Chrysoprase – history and present

Article Category: Review Paper

Published Online: Mar 24, 2023

Page range: 1 - 10

Received: Sep 21, 2022

Accepted: Jan 30, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mipo-2023-0001

Keywords
chrysoprase, history, mineralogy, terminology

© 2023 Michał Sachanbiński et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Chrysoprase – history and present

Article Category: Review Paper

Published Online: Mar 24, 2023

Page range: 1 - 10

Received: Sep 21, 2022

Accepted: Jan 30, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mipo-2023-0001

Keywordschrysoprase, history, mineralogy, terminology

© 2023 Michał Sachanbiński et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
chrysoprase, history, mineralogy, terminology