Axinite gets its name from us sharp-edged, axe head-shaped crystals. Although attractive and hard, they are brittle and rarely flawless, and faceted for collectors only. Brown is the most usual color, although it also occurs in honey-yellow and plum-purple varieties. A rare Tanzanian axnite is blue. Axnite is strongly pleochroic.

Axinite is found in cavities in granite and in metarnorphic rocks. Localities include New Jersey (USA), where the attractive honey-yellow crystals arc found, Mexico, Cornwall (England), France, and in the gem gravels of Sri Lanka.

Aventurine quartz feldspar, amazonite. And jade. A stimulant, known as goldstone, has been made to imitate both aventurine quartz and aventurine feldspar. It contains small triangles and hexagons of copper held in glass. With a x 10 hand lens it should be possible to see the outlines of the copper spangles.