6.3: Fracture
- Page ID
- 3202
Fracture is the random breakage of a gemstone when being hit with a sharp or hard object along a direction other than then the direction of cleavage or parting. The most common type of fracture is termed "conchoidal" (shell-like).
The types of fracture are:
- conchoidal
- uneven
- even
- splintery
- granular
Sources
- Gemmology 3rd edition (2005) - Peter Read