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Mineral Database

Mineral Database - A comprehensive database of mineral crystal habits with CDL notation and gemmological properties for visualization applications.

Part of the Gemmology Project.

Overview

The Mineral Database provides:

  • 94+ mineral presets with accurate crystallographic data
  • CDL notation for crystal habit visualization
  • FGA-standard properties (RI, SG, optical character, etc.)
  • SQLite backend for fast queries
  • Full-text search across mineral names and properties
  • Backwards compatible with original CRYSTAL_PRESETS dict API

Installation

pip install gemmology-mineral-database

Quick Start

from mineral_database import get_preset, list_presets, search_presets

# Get a specific mineral preset
diamond = get_preset('diamond')
print(diamond['cdl'])      # 'cubic[m3m]:{111}@1.0 + {110}@0.2'
print(diamond['system'])   # 'cubic'
print(diamond['hardness']) # 10

# List all presets
all_presets = list_presets()

# List presets by crystal system
cubic_presets = list_presets('cubic')

# Search presets
garnet_matches = search_presets('garnet')

Database Contents

The database includes presets for all major crystal systems:

System Count Examples
Cubic ~25 Diamond, Garnet, Fluorite, Pyrite
Hexagonal ~8 Beryl, Emerald, Aquamarine, Apatite
Trigonal ~15 Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Tourmaline
Tetragonal ~5 Zircon, Rutile, Cassiterite
Orthorhombic ~10 Topaz, Peridot, Tanzanite
Monoclinic ~10 Kunzite, Epidote, Gypsum
Triclinic ~5 Turquoise, Kyanite, Labradorite
Twins ~15 Japan Law, Spinel Macle, Iron Cross

Database Schema

The SQLite database stores minerals with full gemmological properties:

# Core fields (all minerals)
id, name, cdl, system, point_group, chemistry, hardness, description

# Optional gemmological properties
sg, ri, birefringence, optical_character, dispersion, lustre,
cleavage, fracture, pleochroism, twin_law, phenomenon

# List fields (JSON-encoded)
localities, forms, colors, treatments, inclusions

Backwards Compatibility

The package provides dict-like CRYSTAL_PRESETS for code migration:

from mineral_database import CRYSTAL_PRESETS

# All dict operations work
preset = CRYSTAL_PRESETS['diamond']
preset = CRYSTAL_PRESETS.get('ruby')
'garnet' in CRYSTAL_PRESETS
for name in CRYSTAL_PRESETS:
    print(name)

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.