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Nov 21, 2023 · Luster is a physical property used by mineralogists to help identify minerals. Luster describes how a mineral's surface reflects light and how the interior of the mineral may refract or bend...
These are things that gem materials do to light beyond a simple luster, such as: adularescence, aventurescence, iridescence, labradorescence, opalescence, play-of-color, and fire. If these are not related to luster, they can be hard to separate from it.
May 25, 2019 · Luster, also spelled lustre, is a simple word for a complex thing: the way light interacts with the surface of a mineral. This gallery shows the major types of luster, which range from metallic to dull. I might call luster the combination of reflectance (shininess) and transparency.
For example, minerals with a metallic luster are usually composed of metals or metal-like elements. Minerals with a vitreous luster are usually composed of silica or other glassy materials. Minerals with a dull luster are often composed of soft, earthy materials.
Luster describes how a mineral appears to reflects light, and how brilliant or dull the mineral is. The terms used to describe luster are: Metallic (also known as splendent) Submetallic. Vitreous (also known as glassy) Adamantine (also known as brilliant or diamondlike) Resinous (also known as resinlike) Silky.
Determining luster can be difficult for a beginner. A dark colored sample of weathered magnetite (metallic luster) might be mistaken for an earthy sample of hematite (non-metallic luster), but these two will differ in other properties, for example magnetism.
Lustre ( British English) or luster ( American English; see spelling differences) is the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock, or mineral. The word traces its origins back to the Latin lux, meaning "light", and generally implies radiance, gloss, or brilliance.
