{"title":"Lazulite","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLazulite\u003c\/strong\u003e is a magnesium aluminum phosphate mineral, MgAl2(PO4)2(OH)2, prized among phosphate collectors for its intense azure-to-indigo color. It forms a series with the iron-rich \u003cstrong\u003escorzalite\u003c\/strong\u003e and belongs to the \u003cstrong\u003elazulite group\u003c\/strong\u003e, crystallizing in the monoclinic system with a vitreous to resinous luster and a hardness of 5½–6. First described in 1795, its type locality is \u003cstrong\u003eFreßnitzgraben\u003c\/strong\u003e in Styria, Austria, and it is easily confused with the unrelated \u003cstrong\u003elazurite\u003c\/strong\u003e and copper carbonate \u003cstrong\u003eazurite\u003c\/strong\u003e, though its chemistry and paragenesis are entirely different, typically forming in quartz veins and metamorphic phosphate-iron rocks rather than in metasomatized limestones.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe most celebrated modern occurrence is \u003cstrong\u003eRapid Creek\u003c\/strong\u003e, together with nearby \u003cstrong\u003eBig Fish River\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eCrosscut Creek\u003c\/strong\u003e in the Dawson Mining District of Yukon, Canada, where crystals form in a Cretaceous ironstone-shale sequence rich in siderite and quartz. Since their discovery in the 1970s, Yukon lazulites have set the world standard for saturated indigo-blue color, sharp doubly-terminated crystals, and mirror-like luster, often twinned and associated with siderite, quartz, augelite, childrenite, gormanite, and apatite; the remote, snowbound terrain and reliance on helicopter-supported expeditions make fine specimens genuinely scarce. In the United States, \u003cstrong\u003eGraves Mountain\u003c\/strong\u003e in Lincoln County, Georgia is the classic historic locality, yielding well-formed blue crystals embedded in crumbly quartzite matrix, while the \u003cstrong\u003eChampion Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e in Mono County, California is another noted American source. Austria remains a benchmark European producer, with material from \u003cstrong\u003eFischbach\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eWerfen\u003c\/strong\u003e in Salzburg, including the Höllgraben occurrence at Pfarrwerfen, and Italy contributes specimens from the \u003cstrong\u003eVizze Pass\u003c\/strong\u003e in Bolzano and \u003cstrong\u003eMonte Folgorito\u003c\/strong\u003e near Pietrasanta, Lucca.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond these classic districts, lazulite is also reported from Madagascar, Bolivia, and scattered Alpine localities, usually as smaller, scorzalite-rich, darker crystals, while Brazil's \u003cstrong\u003eMinas Gerais\u003c\/strong\u003e supplies massive, lapidary-grade material cut into cabochons for jewelry rather than cabinet specimens. Collectors seek lazulite for the rarity of gem-transparent, well-terminated crystals, the striking contrast against white quartz or golden siderite matrix, and its status as a genuinely uncommon phosphate species — Yukon's stock is officially recognized as the territory's gemstone, underscoring the mineral's enduring appeal among systematic and aesthetic mineral collectors alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/lazulite.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}