Entry № 195
Franklinite
Franklinite
A black spinel from the strangest orebody in America.
Chakra
Root
Element
Earth · Fire
Zodiac
Capricorn · Scorpio

I. The Metaphysical Reading
How the stone has been held.
Franklinite is worked with as a stone of place, kept as a specimen by practitioners who honour the mineral history of a single valley. It is held as a reminder that some things are only made once, in one location on the planet, and are worth staying quiet about.
- Chakra
- Root
- Element
- Earth · Fire
- Zodiac
- Capricorn · Scorpio
- Keynote
- A black spinel from the strangest orebody in America.
II. The Scientific Reading
What the lattice actually does.
Franklinite is a member of the spinel group and the principal zinc-iron-manganese oxide ore of the Franklin–Sterling Hill mining district in Sussex County, New Jersey — a Precambrian metamorphosed carbonate deposit that has produced over 350 mineral species and around 90 species found nowhere else. It commonly occurs with red zincite and green willemite in white calcite marble.
- Formula
- (Zn,Mn²⁺,Fe²⁺)(Fe³⁺,Mn³⁺)₂O₄
- System
- Isometric (spinel group)
- Hardness
- 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs)
- Provenance
- USA — Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey (essentially unique)
References & Sources
Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.
Mineral Profile
Fact Sheet
- Chemical Formula
- (Zn,Mn²⁺,Fe²⁺)(Fe³⁺,Mn³⁺)₂O₄
- Crystal System
- Isometric (spinel group)
- Mohs Hardness
- 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs)
- Density
- 5.07 – 5.22 g/cm³
- Refractive Index
- 2.36 (opaque)
- Provenance
- USA — Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey (essentially unique)
- Color Origin
- Iron-black octahedral crystals with a submetallic lustre, often on white calcite with red zincite
Related Crystals
Stones that share this lattice
Next in the Atlas
Fruit Jasper
Bands of orchard colour in a single silica pebble.




