1. Biotite By: Sammy Melcer and Heberth Haas

2. Characteristics  Color: : black, brown, or yellow  Pearly luster  Transparency: transparent to translucent  Perfect cleavage  Hardness: 2.5  Streak: white  Density: 2.9-3.4  Class: Silicates

3. Chemistry  Potassium  Iron  Magnesium  Aluminum  Silicate  Hydroxide  Fluoride

4. Where it is Found  Evje, Norway  Bessnes, France  Uluguru mountains in Tanzania  Ontario, Canada  Laacher See, Germany  It is not found in the United States

5. Mining and Process  It is mined through quarrying or underground mining depending on how deep it is

6. Value  The price of biotite is about $2.72 US dollars per gram

7. Uses  Biotite has no uses known  It is probably just used as a decoration

8. Crystallized Biotite

9. Gemstone vs. Mineral  Gemstone: a mineral that is in a cut and polished form  Not all minerals are gemstones because they can’t be cut evenly or can’t be polished

10. Our Birthstones  Sammy: Emerald  Heberth: Amethyst