Hypersthene pendant, round (14mm), 2.1cm, rhodiniert

Hypersthene - an unusual mineral for a gemstone pendant!

The round cabochon is 14mm in size and weighs 13ct. Overall, the hypersthene pendant measures 2.1 x 1.3 cm.

The bezel setting and the eyelet are made of highly polished, rhodiniert silver 925; weight of the silver 1g.

Hypersthene got its name from the Greek "hyper" (over) and "stheos" (strength); this refers to its greater hardness compared to the closely related Bronzite. Spellings such as hyperstene or hyperstehne are therefore incorrect.

In 1988, Hypersthene was renamed Ferrosilite by the International Mineralogical Association. Synonyms for Hypersthene are Augite-Bronzite, Iron Anthophyllite, Iron Enstatite, Ferroanthophyllite, Ficinite, Labradorblende, Paulite, Schiller Spar and Szaboite as well as Hyperstein.

The mineral Hypersthene is also called black jade, as mineralogically it falls into exactly the same group as true Jadeite jade. Both are members of the pyroxene group. While Hypersthene forms the iron-rich mixture of enstatite and ferrosilite and belongs to the Mg-Fe pyroxenes, Jadeite is counted among the sodium pyroxenes.