chrysoprase
photo courtesy of Alan Guisewite
chrysoprase, citrine & green leopard-spotted chalcedony necklace
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| composition | silicon dioxide |
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| name source | Greek chryso, meaning "golden," and prase, meaning "leek" |
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| other accepted names | Australian jade or Australian Imperial jade, jadine |
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| folkloric aliases | the victory stone |
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| color | semitransparent to translucent apple to bottle green |
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| color source | nickel impurities |
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| significant sources | Australia (Queensland), Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia (Urals), and US (California) |
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| MOH scale | 6.5 - 7 |
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| care and treatment | Clean in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner or with warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Prolonged exposure to sun can fade chrysoprase's color because dehydration can occur, robbing the stones of their coloring agent, pimelite, a silicate. |
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