Shortite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

Shortite is an exceedingly rare, not overly attractive mineral. Cut gems are among the rarest of all faceted stones. The material is a carbonate and is therefore fragile and soft.

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HomeGemstonesShortite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
By Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA

Shortite is an exceedingly rare, not overly attractive mineral. Cut gems are among the rarest of all faceted stones. The material is a carbonate and is therefore fragile and soft.

SHORTITE: Wyoming (0.5). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

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Shortite Value

Optics:a=1.531; β=1.555; γ=1.570.

Biaxial (+),2V = 75°.

Occurrence: Occurs in clays from an oil well, 20 miles west of Green River, Wyoming: also in clay from an oil well in Uintah County, Utah.

Comments: Shortite is an exceedingly rare, not overly attractive mineral. Cut gems are among the rarest of all faceted stones. The material is a carbonate and is therefore fragile and soft.

Pyroelectric.

Name: After Maxwell N. Short, professor of mineralogy at the University of Arizona.

Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA

Dr. Joel E. Arem has more than 60 years of experience in the world of gems and minerals. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Mineralogy from Harvard University, he has published numerous books that are still among the most widely used references and guidebooks on crystals, gems and minerals in the world.

Co-founder and President of numerous organizations, Dr. Arem has enjoyed a lifelong career in mineralogy and gemology. He has been a Smithsonian scientist and Curator, a consultant to many well-known companies and institutions, and a prolific author and speaker. Although his main activities have been as a gem cutter and dealer, his focus has always been education. joelarem.com

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