Cinnamon Stone

The Hyacinth of the Lapidaries is sometimes Cinnamon stone, and sometimes orange-brown Zircon, and Mineralogists have often confounded them together; but Klaproth’s analysis has shewn them to be perfectly distinct, and that Cinnamon stone is nearer related to common Garnet. The crystal of Cinnamon stone which I have been fortunate enough to obtain, appears, although not very perfect, to be the same dodecahedron with the edges rounded, and the surface not striated but smooth and shining, with a slight greasy lustre. The specific gravity of Cinnamon stone is about 3.6 that is, rather lower than that of Garnet, but very considerably lower than the specific gravity of the true Hyacinth or Zircon. Garnet is so variable in its composition and character, that it would be premature to pronounce that Cinnamon stone is only a variety of it, before more perfect crystals are examined. Haüy seems inclined to consider with Mohs, that it is only a variety, but he has observed an indistinct foliated structure parallel to the faces of a rhomboidal prism, measuring a few degrees above 100. My specimens are from Ceylon. The lower one consists of rounded and fractured crystals, among which are several faces indicating* rhomboidal dodecahedrons: they are surrounded in part by Schaalstein.