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Chemical Formula: Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O
Color: Blue-green, green, white, colorless,
brown and yellow
Hardness: 4.5 - 5.0
Specific Gravity: 3.4
Hemimorphite or Calamine is one of the more common
sorosilicates that forms in oxidized zinc deposits and
occurs in clusters of radiating, acicular crystals.
Hememorphite gets the name from its polar or
hemimorphic crystals. The hemi means half while the
morph means shape and thus hemimorphite is aptly
named.
Hemimorphite is available in two different forms- one
form produces very glassy, clear or white, thin,
bladed crystals, often well formed showing many
crystal faces. The other form produces a blue to
blue-green botryoidal crust that resembles smithsonite
or prehnite. Prehnite has a lower density and is
usually greener and has different associations with
other minerals. For a collector both forms are a must
in their mineral collections. The gemstone is found in
the regions of Santa Eulalia and Mapimi, Mexico; New
Mexico and New Jersey, USA: England and Zambia.
