Where does a mineral get its color?
The color any object appears to be is actually the color most readily reflected away from it. The color of a mineral is is commonly due to the presence of trace elements and/or defects in the crystal structure and can be described in three broad categories. Crystal Field Transition: Electrons in the d orbital of transition elements (a.ka. chromophore elements) leap to higher energy levels when a light is shone upon them by absorbing some of the light at the…