Names of most minerals end in "ite"--apatite, calcite, dolomite,
fluorite. But many do not: amphibole, copper (the most common pure
metal in rocks), feldspar, galena, gypsum, hornblende, mica, quartz.
Many minerals take their names from a Greek word referring to some
outstanding property of the mineral. For example, hematite,
an oxide of iron, was named about 325 B.C. from the Greek HAIMA,
or blood, because of the color of its powder.
Some minerals are named for the locality in which they were first
discovered. Coloradoite was first found in Colorado. Benitoite
turned up in San Benito County, California. And so with labradorite
and brazilite.
Other minerals got their names from famous people. Willemite was
named in honor of Willem I, King of the Netherlands. The great
German poet-philosopher, Goethe, could turn up in your collection
as goethite. And there's smithsonite, named for James Smithson,
founder of the Smithsonian Institution.
[figure captions]
Gold, jasper, uncut diamond, quartz (violet in color), halite
(Carlsbad N.M.), calcite (S. Dakota), copper, turquoise (brilliant
color)