Today I want to talk about a mineral called Hypersthene. I saw a cabochon on Etsy and it was so pretty so I decided to buy it to make something with it.
Upon receiving it, it had the same texture as jet--clearly a stone but it felt very light, almost wooden. After digging around on Google, I learned that this neat little mineral is a mix of magnesium and iron silicate.
The name, Hypersthene comes from the Greek word for over strength. Its name is generally used to mean a mix of enstatite which has mostly magnesium and ferrosilite which has mostly iron silicate. So in essence, it’s a blend of these two.
Another thing I noticed while looking up this lovely mineral is that it has a nickname, Velvet Labradorite. After receiving the stone, I can see why--looks like a black velvet labradorite yet doesn’t have the color display of labradorite nor is hardness.
I took some macro shots of Hypersthene and I also wrapped and listed it for sale in my online store. Hypersthene is found in igneous rocks and sometimes in metamorphic rocks. It's also found in some iron-based meteorites.
Wikipedia mentioned that a coarse-grained labradorite-hypersthene rock from Pauls Island off of the coast of Labrador has furnished the most typical material which lends to the name Labrador hornblende or even paulite.

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