By Chisom Ibemere
Hambergite is named after a Swedish explorer and mineralogists, Axel Hamberg. It is a beryllium borate mineral. The mineral occurs as white or colourless orthorhombic crystals.
Hambergite is found in beryllium bearing granite pegmatites as a rare accessory phase. It has association with beryl, danburite, apatite, spodumene, zircon, fluorite, feldspar and quartz.
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Hambergite has a Vitreous lustre, transparent to translucent and may be greyish, yellowish; and colourless in transmitted light. It has a white streak and a mohs hardness of 7½ and brittle. It has a perfect cleavage and density between 2.35-2.37.
Hambergite is rarely seen in jewelry due to its lack of color and brilliance yet Collectors prize the stone. Hambergite is a rare gemstone especially in stones weighing over five carats. The largest known hambergite stone weighs 40 carats.
Hambergite is identified with it’s high birefringence and a very low density, which is a very unique quality of the stone. It has a very little fire and high birefringence, which differentiated it from quartz. When cut, hambergite can also resemble glass.
Hambergite was first discovered in Norway, but of low quality gemstone. The best source of Hambergite remains Anjanabanoana. Good quality stones can been seen in Molo, in Myanmar. Hambergite can be found worldwide, in India, the Czech Republic, Norway, and the United States, in California.
