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Structural characterization and chemical composition of aragonite and vaterite in freshwater cultured pearls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

A. L. Soldati ,
D. E. Jacob ,
U. Wehrmeister  and
W. Hofmeister
A. L. Soldati*
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Becherweg 21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
D. E. Jacob
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Becherweg 21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
U. Wehrmeister
Affiliation:
Centre of Gemstone Research, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Becherweg 21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
W. Hofmeister
Affiliation:
Centre of Gemstone Research, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Becherweg 21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
*
*E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Vaterite and aragonite polymorphs in freshwater cultured pearls from mussels of the genus Hyriopsis (Unionidae) were structurally and compositionally characterized by Raman spectroscopy, Micro computer tomography, high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The appearance of vaterite in pearls is related to the initial stages of biomineralization, although we demonstrate that vaterite can not be a precursor to aragonite. It is not related to a particular crystal habit and therefore does not have a structural functionality in the pearls. Larger contents of elements typically bound to organic molecules, such as P and S in vaterite, as well as larger total organic contents in vaterite as opposed to aragonite in conjunction with larger concentrations of Mn2+ and Mg2+, imply a stabilizing role of organic macromolecules and X2+ ions for biological vaterite. Distribution coefficients between aragonite and vaterite for provenance-independent elements, such as Mn and Mg (0.27 and 0.04, respectively) agree very well with those observed in fish otoliths.

Keywords

aragonitevateritestructural characterizationpearlsbiomineralization
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 72 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 579 - 592
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2008

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