Alternative Names:
Origin: Notably New Jersey, U.S.A.
Mineral Species: Franklinite (Spinel Group)
Mineral Group: Oxides
Chemical Formula: ZnFe2O4
Hardness: 5.5-6
Crystal System: Cubic (Isometric)
Colour: Reddish brown to black
Typical Appearance: Usually octahedral crystals.
Birthstone: None
Chakra Alignment: None
Element: None
Origin of Name & Mythology: Named in 1819 by Pierre Berthier for the type locality of Franklin Furnace (now Franklin Borough), New Jersey. Silliman (1920) translated Berthier's article: "As the chemical nomenclature cannot in every instance furnish a name, I propose to give it that of The Franklinite, in order to remind us that it was found, for the first time, in a place to which the Americans have given the name of a great man, whose name is equally venerated in Europe as in the new world by all the friends of science an humanity."
