Royalty
655 creative works found
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New additions to The Hidden Land Collection; best viewed larger but take a step or two back from the computer as I intended these for larger print applications :) My hubby brought home some Sydney sandstone samples. The patterns on it are so interesting and unique. / Some people refer to it as coffee rock and it’s easy to understand why.
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New additions to The Hidden Land Collection; best viewed larger but take a step or two back from the computer as I intended these for larger print applications :) Phyllite with specks of what we suspect is iron. / Reminds me of underwater volcanic activity.
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New additions to The Hidden Land Collection; best viewed larger but take a step or two back from the computer as I intended these for larger print applications :) This is an unopened geode. We don’t know if we will ever have it sliced, it’s beautiful the way it is… / But are you looking down a crater, or a hill? / Or maybe an Alien egg before it hatches! /
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New additions to The Hidden Land Collection; best viewed larger but take a step or two back from the computer as I intended these for larger print applications :) A jadeite specimen;unpolished. We like most of our crystals in the unpolished state – still raw and still has that connection to the earth.
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(5×7 Mixed Media On Cardstock) I love the Renaissance/Elizabethan Era,so this collage is a “Huzzah” to that period in History. I found this great pic of a old castle that I copied and handed tinted w/embossing markers Then I added the two princes who’ve come to serenade Her Majesty which I cut out from a pack of playing cards & added the musical instruments they’re holding from my large sticker collection(don’t do collages w/o one(lol) The princess herself was cut out of a catalog of miniatures(No 2.Always have plenty of magazines & old catalog’s on hand) Finally,I used scrapbook paper that looks like old sheet music as the border. This is mean’t to be a humorous piece so I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed assembling it:-)
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These are rice pearls from my Mom; she’s had it since I was little and gave them to me two years ago. She said they were my Grandmother’s too. I’ve included the box Mom keeps them in in the shot as well, but I don’t know if it’s the original. Below are some information on pearls. Pearls / A pearl is a hard, generally spherical object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, very fine, very admirable, and very valuable. / Valuable pearls occur in the wild, but they are very rare. Cultured or farmed pearls make up the majority of those that are currently sold. Pearls from the sea are valued more highly than freshwater pearls. Imitation or fake pearls are also widely sold in inexpensive jewelry, but the quality of their iridescence is usually very poor – and generally speaking, artificial pearls are easily distinguished from genuine pearls. Pearls have been harvested and cultivated primarily for use in jewelry, but in the past they were also stitched onto lavish clothing. Pearls have also been crushed and used in cosmetics, medicines, or in paint formulations. / from: Wikipedia
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This is an early New Years wish for everybody! / The pig is widely accepted in different cultures as a symbol of prosperity, abundance and wealth. It isn’t the year for the pig next year, it’s the tiger. But I’m hoping some of that prosperity finds its way to all of us :) This little pig is a tiny silver pill box from Cambodia. The $1 &$2 coins and the tarnish made it look more gold (or brass) so I just went for it and enhanced to color just by a bit. /
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This is actually a glass beaded bracelet, but on macro, they look a whole lot more interesting.
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This is another silver trinket, a card holder, from Cambodia. It depicts two Apsara. Apsaras represent an important motif in the stone bas-reliefs of the Angkorian temples in Cambodia. Descriptions of the temples often distinguish between two types of depictions of female celestials: depictions of figures who are dancing or are poised to dance, which are called “Apsaras;” and depictions of figures who are standing still, facing forward, in the manner of temple guardians or custodians, which are called “Devatas.” / Carved apsaras are particularly common at Angkor Wat, the largest of the ancient Angkorian temples. Scholars have counted more than 1,860 at the 12th Century monument, some carved on pillars, some on walls, some high up on towers. / Wikipedia
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Another shot of silk scarves I got from the North Sydney Markets. You can find this stall, usually, near the Council building on Miller St. during market day.
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HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands – Spontaneous Portrait Official opening of “Open Source Amsterdam” and “the Street of Sculptures” / by HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands – Saturday May 9 2009 / - a photo-impression by Steppeland at deviantArt.com ===== / May 9 2009, HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited Amsterdam Southeast (Bijlmermeer) for the official opening of Open Source Amsterdam and the Street of Sculptures. / Open Source Amsterdam is the title of the first International Art Manifestation in the public area of Amsterdam Southeast. From May 9 til July 11, 16 artworks from 15 artists from different countries, will form a 3 km long art route between NS train station Bijlmer ArenA and metro station Kraaiennest. After July 11th, 5 works will remain . This cultural event will be repeated every two years, and each year the collection will be expanded with 5 new works. In this way, the Street of Sculptures will develop over a period of 10 years. For more information about Open Source Amsterdam and the Street of Sculptures, see opensourceamsterdam.nl ===== / Remarkable of this event is further, that HM Queen Beatrix attended this opening of the Art-route, walking very close among the people, only one week after Queens Day on the 30th of April 2009, where there had been a tragic attack aimed at the Royal Family, with several death and injured as a result – see BBC news ===== / This picture: Close-up of HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, while she is talking with the artist Amalia Pica creator of “Now Speak” http://www.opensourceamsterdam.nl/en/the-works/now-speak . Also in profile, top right of the pic: Mr. Job Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam. It was ever so exciting to be among the crowd, and at a certain point, moving along with the press-photographers, making shots of this historical visit… I just had a blast that day! ===== / Photograph made with Pentax K10D camera and Tamron 70-300mm Tele-macro1:2 lens Comments and feed-back always welcome. Thanks for looking :)
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. Rhodonite in Galena / It commonly occurs as cleavable to compact masses with a rose-red color (the name comes from the Greek rhodos, rosy), often tending to brown because of surface oxidation. / Rhodonite crystals often have a thick tabular habit, but are rare. It has a perfect, prismatic cleavage, almost at right angles. Luster is vitreous, being less frequently pearly on cleavage surfaces.As a charm, it is considered a “rescue stone”, dispelling negative emotions and raising self esteem. / from: Wikipedia
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. My son specifically asked to take this :) Smithsonite / Smithsonite is a variably colored trigonal mineral which only rarely is found in well formed crystals. The typical habit is as earthy botryoidal masses – texture or mineral habit is one in which the mineral has a globular external form resembling a bunch of grapes as derived from the Greek. / Smithsonite occurs as a secondary mineral in the weathering or oxidation zone of zinc-bearing ore deposits. It sometimes occurs as replacement bodies in carbonate rocks and as such may constitute zinc ore. It commonly occurs in association with hemimorphite, willemite, hydrozincite, cerussite, malachite, azurite, aurichalcite and anglesite. It forms two limited solid solution series, with substitution of manganese leading to rhodochrosite, and with iron, leading to siderite. / from: Wikipedia
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. ...this reminds me of the annual coral spawning of the Great Barrier Reef. Stellerite; Stilbite / Stilbite is a common and perhaps the most popular zeolite mineral for collectors. Stilbite crystals can aggregate together to form a structure resembling wheat sheafs. This hourglass structure looks like several crystals stacked parallel to each other with the tops and bottoms of this structure fanning out while the middle remains thin. Stilbite’s hallmark crystal habit is unique to stilbite and a rarer but related zeolite called stellerite. Whether in the wheat sheafs or not, stilbite can be a hansome specimen with its pearly luster and often colorful pink tints. Stilbite commonly forms nice crystals inside the petrified bubbles (called vesicles) of volcanic rocks that have undergone a small amount of metamorphism. / from: http://www.galleries.com/minerals/silicate/stilbite/stilbite.htm
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. Giants; I see their faces…can you see them? Microcline Feldspar / Microcline (KAlSi3O8) is an important igneous rock-forming tectosilicate mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium. It is common in granite and pegmatites. Microcline forms during slow cooling of orthoclase; it is more stable at lower temperatures than orthoclase. Sanidine is a polymorph of alkali feldspar stable at yet higher temperature. Microcline may be clear, white, pale-yellow, brick-red, or green; it is generally characterized by cross-hatch twinning that forms as a result of the transformation of monoclinic orthoclase into triclinic microcline. Microcline may be chemically the same as monoclinic orthoclase, but because it belongs to the triclinic crystal system, the prism angle is slightly less than right angles; hence the name “microcline” from the Greek “small slope.” It is a fully ordered triclinic modification of potassium feldspar and is dimorphous with orthoclase. Microcline is identical to orthoclase in many physical properties; it can be distinguished by x-ray or optical examination; viewed under a polarizing microscope, microcline exhibits a minute multiple twinning which forms a grating-like structure that is unmistakable. / from: Wikipedia
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. Crocoite / Crocoite is a mineral consisting of lead chromate, PbCrO4, and crystallizing in the monoclinic system. It is sometimes used as a paint, being identical in composition with the artificial product chrome yellow; it is the only chromate of any importance found in nature.It was discovered at Berezovsky deposit near Ekaterinburg in the Urals in 1766; and named crocoise by F. S. Beudant in 1832, from the Greek κροκος, saffron, in allusion to its color, a name first altered to crocoisite and afterwards to crocoite. It is found as well-developed crystals, but there are most often poorly terminated, and are of a bright hyacinth-red color, which are translucent and have an adamantine to vitreous lustre. On exposure to light much of the translucency and brilliancy is lost.Gold is often found associated with this mineral. Crystals far surpassing in beauty any previously known have been found in the Adelaide Mine at Dundas, Tasmania; they are long slender prisms, 3 or 4 in. in length, with a brilliant lustre and color. Crocoite is also the official Tasmanian mineral emblem.Relative rarity of crocoite is connected with specific conditions required for its formation: an oxidation zone of lead ore bed and presence of ultramafic rocks serving as the source of Cr (in chromite). Oxidation of Cr3+ into CrO42- (from chromite) and decomposition of galena (or other primary Pb minerals) are required for crocoite formation. / from: Wikipedia
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. Analcime / Analcime or analcite (from the Greek analkimos – “weak”) is a white, grey, or colourless tectosilicate mineral. Analcime consists of hydrated sodium aluminium silicate in cubic crystalline form. Its chemical formula is NaAlSi2O6·H2O. Minor amounts of potassium and calcium substitute for sodium. A silver-bearing synthetic variety also exists (Ag-analcite). / Analcime is usually classified as a zeolite mineral, but structurally and chemically it is more similar to the feldspathoids. Analcime occurs as a primary mineral in analcime basalt and other alkaline igneous rocks. It also occurs as cavity and vesicle fillings associated with prehnite, calcite, and zeolites. / from: Wikipedia
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Here’s another instalment tour into The Hidden Land. / As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. With this series, I was handicapped as the specimens were behind glass cases; they were taken at the Australian Museum. I also only had what light was available there so positioning myself to get the best angles was key to capturing the images I wanted. Wulfenite / Wulfenite is a lead molybdate mineral with the formula PbMoO4. It can be most often found as thin tabular crystals with a bright orange-red to yellow-orange color, sometimes brown, although the color can be highly variable. In its yellow form it is sometimes called “yellow lead ore”. / Wulfenite is named for Franz Xavier von Wulfen (1728-1805), an Austrian mineralogist. / Wulfenite crystallizes in the tetragonal system, often occurring as stubby, pyramidal or tabular crystals. It also occurs as earthy, granular masses. It shows a white streak and has a hardness of 2.75 – 3.0 on Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It is a dense mineral, with a specific gravity of 6.5-7.0. / Wulfenite is found in many localities, associated with lead ores as a secondary mineral associated with the oxidized zone of lead deposits. It is also a secondary ore of molybdenum, and is sought by collectors. / A noted locality for wulfenite is the Red Cloud Mine in Arizona. Crystals are deep red in color and usually very well formed. The Los Lamentos locality in Mexico produced very thick tabular orange crystals. Samples from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, while usually not bigger than microcrystals, are desirable because of the unusual location. / from: Wikipedia
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Part of my Contemporary Christmas collection. The images are accompanied with some ideas for decorating and celebrating Christmas. I hope you enoy it! The line “When a bell rings, an angel gets its wings” from the movie It’s A Wonderful LIfe was the inspiration for the title of this one. Decorating In Detail – If you are one who loves wind chimes, why not give your current one a holiday and replace it with bells for he duration of the Holidays? Pick up some bells, a spool of natural fibre ribbon or any Christmassy ribbon and the perfect spot to place them! The bells can come in any shape and size, however, I’ve found a combination of 1 or 2 big ones, 3 mediums, and 3 small ones is good. But really, combine them however you want. Thread ribbons through bells and arrange them in a staggered formation, with the biggest being the longest. Gather the ends and secure tightly. Don’t forget to put a loop! Hang it in your favourite spot and enjoy the sounds of the bells!
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This is an ammonite fossil found at the Australian Museum. It was a special request from my son. Ammonites / As they pertain specifically to the order Ammonitida, are an extinct group of marine animals belonging to the cephalopod subclass Ammonoidea. They are excellent index fossils, and it is often possible to link the rock layer in which they are found to specific geological time periods. / The closest living relative of the Ammonitida, is not the modern Nautilus which they somewhat outwardly resemble, but rather the subclass Coleoidea (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish). / Their fossil shells usually take the form of planispirals, although there were some helically-spiraled and non-spiraled forms (known as “heteromorphs”). Their name came from their spiral shape as their fossilized shells somewhat resemble tightly-coiled rams’ horns. Pliny the Elder (d. 79 A.D. near Pompeii) called fossils of these animals ammonis cornua (“horns of Ammon”) because the Egyptian god Ammon (Amun) was typically depicted wearing ram’s horns.[1] Often the name of an ammonite genus ends in -ceras, which is Greek (κέρας) for “horn” (for instance, Pleuroceras). / The majority of ammonite species feature a shell that is a planispiral flat coil, but other species feature a shell that is nearly straight (as in baculites). Still other species’ shells are coiled helically, superficially like that of a large gastropod (as in Turrilites and Bostrychoceras). Some species’ shells are even initially uncoiled, then partially coiled, and finally straight at maturity (as in Australiceras). These partially uncoiled and totally uncoiled forms began to diversify mainly during the early part of the Cretaceous and are known as heteromorphs. / Perhaps the most extreme and bizarre looking example of a heteromorph is Nipponites, which appears to be a tangle of irregular whorls lacking any obvious symmetrical coiling. However, upon closer inspection the shell proves to be a three-dimensional network of connected “U” shapes. Nipponites occurs in rocks of the upper part of the Cretaceous in Japan and the USA. / Ammonites vary greatly in the ornamentation (surface relief) of their shells. Some may be smooth and relatively featureless, except for growth lines, and resemble that of the modern Nautilus. In others various patterns of spiral ridges and ribs or even spines are shown. This type of ornamentation of the shell is especially evident in the later ammonites of the Cretaceous. from: Wikipedia
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I’m back to uploading more of my The Hidden Land collection. / These were also taken from the Australian Museum’s collection of rocks and minerals; the handicaps and limitations of the shots are the same – behind glass cases and limited lighting. As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. Some post work was needed to bring out the textures and balance the lighting – Tone Curve, Saturation and Gamma. Best viewed larger…really Malachite / Malachite is a carbonate mineral normally known as “copper carbonate” with the formula CuCO3.Cu(OH)2. This green-colored mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses. Individual crystals are rare but do occur as slender to acicular prisms. Pseudomorphs after more tabular or blocky azurite crystals also occur.The stone’s name derives (via Latin and French) from Greek molochitis, “mallow-green stone”, from molochē, variant of malachē, “mallow”. Malachite was used as a mineral pigment in green paints from antiquity until about 1800. The pigment is moderately lightfast, very sensitive to acids and varying in color. The natural form was being replaced by its synthetic form, verditer amongst other synthetic greens. It is also used for decorative purposes, such as in the Malachite Room in the Hermitage, which features a large malachite vase (unknown scale). “The Tazza”, one of the largest pieces of malachite in North America and a gift from Tsar Nicholas II, stands as the focal point in the center of the room of Linda Hall Library. / Malachite often results from weathering of copper ores and is often found together with azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2), goethite, and calcite. Except for its vibrant green color, the properties of malachite are similar to those of azurite and aggregates of the two minerals occur frequently together. Malachite is more common than azurite and is typically associated with copper deposits around limestones, the source of the carbonate. / Large quantities of malachite have been mined in the Urals. It is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Zambia; Tsumeb; Namibia; Russia; Mexico; Broken Hill, New South Wales; England; Lyon; and in the Southwestern United States especially in Arkansas and Arizona. In Israel, malachite is extensively mined at Timna valley, often called King Solomon’s Mines, although research has revealed an interruption in mining activity at the site during the 10th century, the time of Solomon. / Archeological evidence indicates that the mineral has been mined and smelted at the site for over 3,000 years. Most of Timna’s current production is also smelted, but the finest pieces are worked into silver jewelry. from: Wikipedia
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I’m back to uploading more of my The Hidden Land collection. / These were also taken from the Australian Museum’s collection of rocks and minerals; the handicaps and limitations of the shots are the same – behind glass cases and limited lighting. As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. Some post work was needed to bring out the textures and balance the lighting – Tone Curve, Saturation and Gamma. Best viewed larger…really Hyalite Opal / Hyalite is a form of opal with a glassy and clear appearance which exhibits an internal play of colors and has natural inclusions. It is also called Muller’s glass, water opal and jalite. Its Mohs hardness is 5.5 to 6 and it has a specific gravity of 2.1. It is an amorphous form of silica (SiO2). Its has a conchoidal fracture, a vitreous luster and a white streak. It is sometimes mistaken for resin opal, since they both look like little globs. It glows bright green under blacklight.
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I’m back to uploading more of my The Hidden Land collection. / These were also taken from the Australian Museum’s collection of rocks and minerals; the handicaps and limitations of the shots are the same – behind glass cases and limited lighting. As before, this collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. Some post work was needed to bring out the textures and balance the lighting – Tone Curve, Saturation and Gamma. Best viewed larger…really Dioptase on Calcite / Dioptase is an intense emerald-green to bluish-green copper cyclosilicate mineral. It is transparent to translucent. Its luster is vitreous to sub-adamantine. Its formula is CuSiO3·H2O (also reported as CuSiO2(OH)2). It has a hardness of 5, the same as tooth enamel. It specific gravity is 3.28–3.35, and it has two perfect and one very good cleavage directions. Additionally, dioptase is very fragile and specimens must be handled with great care. It is a trigonal mineral, forming 6-sided crystals that are terminated by rhombohedra.Late in the 18th century, copper miners at the Altyn-Tyube (Altyn-Tube) mine, Karagandy Province,Kazakhstanthought they found an emerald deposit of their dreams. They found fantastic cavities in quartz veins in a limestone, filled with thousands of lustrous emerald-green transparent crystals. The crystals were dispatched to Moscow, Russia for analysis. However the mineral’s inferior hardness of 5 compared with emerald’s greater hardness of 8 easily distinguished it. Later Fr. René Just Haüy (the famed French mineralogist) in 1797 determined that the enigmatic Altyn-Tyube mineral was new to science and named it dioptase (Greek, dia, “through” and optima, “vision”), alluding to the mineral’s two cleavage directions that are visible inside unbroken crystals. / Dioptase is a very rare mineral found mostly in desert regions where it forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of copper sulfide mineral deposits. However, the process of its formation is not simple, the oxidation of copper sulfides should be insufficient to crystallize dioptase as silica is normally minutely soluble in water except at highly alkaline pH. The oxidation of sulfides will generate highly acidic fluids rich in sulfuric acid that should suppress silica solubility. However, in dry climates and with enough time, especially in areas of a mineral deposit where acids are buffered by carbonate, minute quantities of silica may react with dissolved copper forming dioptase and chrysocolla. / The Altyn Tube mine in Kazakhstan still provides handsome specimens; a brownish quartzite host distinguishes its specimens from other localities. The finest specimens of all were found at the Tsumeb Mine in Tsumeb, Namibia. Tsumeb dioptase is wonderfully lustrous and transparent, with its crystal often perched on an attractive snow-white carbonate matrix. Dioptase is also found in the deserts of the southwestern USA. A notable occurrence is the old Mammoth-Saint Anthony Mine near Mammoth, Arizona where small crystals that make fine micromount specimens are found. In addition, many small, pale-green colored crystals of dioptase have come from the Christmas Mine near Hayden, Arizona. Another classic locality for fine specimens is Renéville, Congo-Brazzaville. Finally, an interesting occurrence is the Malpaso Quarry in Argentina. Here tiny bluish-green dioptase is found on and in quartz. It appears at this occurrence, dioptase is primary and has crystallized with quartz, native copper, and malachite. / Dioptase is popular with mineral collectors and it is occasionally cut into small emerald-like gems. Dioptase and chrysocolla are the only relatively common copper silicate minerals. A dioptase gemstone should never be exposed to ultrasonic cleaning or the fragile gem will shatter. from: Wikipedia
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This is the last batch of my The Hidden Land collection from the Australian Museum. As before, the handicaps and limitations of the shots are the same – behind glass cases and limited lighting. This collection features rocks and minerals highlighting their unique properties and formations. I always try to take as macro a shot as I can without loosing too much information about my subjects. Some post work was needed to bring out the textures and balance the lighting – Tone Curve, Saturation and Gamma. Best viewed larger…really Cerussite / Cerussite (also known as lead carbonate or white lead ore) is a mineral consisting of lead carbonate (PbCO3), and an important ore of lead. The name is from the Latin cerussa, white lead. Cerussa nativa was mentioned by Conrad Gessner in 1565, and in 1832 F. S. Beudant applied the name cruse to the mineral, whilst the present form, cerussite, is due to W. Haidinger (1845). Miners’ names in early use were lead-spar and white-lead-ore. / Cerussite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and is isomorphous with aragonite. Like aragonite it is very frequently twinned, the compound crystals being pseudo-hexagonal in form. Three crystals are usually twinned together on two faces of the prism, producing six-rayed stellate groups with the individual crystals intercrossing at angles of nearly 60°. Crystals are of frequent occurrence and they usually have very bright and smooth faces. The mineral also occurs in compact granular masses, and sometimes in fibrous forms. The mineral is usually colorless or white, sometimes grey or greenish in tint and varies from transparent to translucent with an adamantine lustre. It is very brittle, and has a conchoidal fracture. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 to 3.75 and a specific gravity of 6.5. A variety containing 7 % of zinc carbonate, replacing lead carbonate, is known as iglesiasite, from Iglesias in Sardinia, where it is found. / The mineral may be readily recognized by its characteristic twinning, in conjunction with the adamantine lustre and high specific gravity. It dissolves with effervescence in dilute nitric acid. A blowpipe test will cause it to fuse very readily, and gives indications for lead. / As crystaline ore finely crystallized specimens have been obtained from the Friedrichssegen mine in Lahnstein near Nassau, Johanngeorgenstadt in Saxony, Mies in Bohemia, Phoenixville in Pennsylvania, Broken Hill, New South Wales; and several other localities. Delicate acicular crystals of considerable length were found long ago in the Pentire Glaze mine near St Minver in Cornwall. It is often found in considerable quantities, and contains as much as 77.5% of lead. / Lead(II) carbonate is practically insoluble in neutral water (solubility product Pb2+ ≈ 1.5×10-13 at 25 °C), but will dissolve in dilute acids. / “White lead” is the key ingredient in (now discontinued) lead paints. Ingestion of lead-based paint chips is the most common cause of lead poisoning in children.Both “white lead” and lead acetate have been used in cosmetics throughout history, though this practice has ceased in Western countries. from: Wikipedia
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