CHRYSLITE, or YELLOWISH-GREEN TOPAZ; a precious stone of a grass-green colour, found in the East Indies, Brazil, Bohemia, Saxony, Spain, in Auvergne and Bourbon in France, and in Derbyshire in England. Some are likewise found with volcanic lavas, as in the Vivarais, where some large lumps have been seen of 20 or 30 pounds weight; but it is remarkable, that some of these chryslites are partly decomposed into an argillaceous substance. All chryslites, however, are far from being of the same kind. The oriental is the same with the peridot, and differs only by its green hue from the sapphires, topazes, and rubies of the same denomination. This becomes electric by being rubbed; has a prismatic form of six, or sometimes of five, striated faces; and does not lose its colour or transparency in the fire, which the common chryslite often does; becoming either opaque, or melting entirely in a strong heat. The instant it melts, it emits a phosphoric light like the basis of alum and gypseous spar: with borax it produces a thin colourless glass. Its specific gravity is between 3.600 and 3.700; according to Brissot it is 2.7821, or 2.6923; and that of the Spanish chryslite 3.0989.

The substance of this precious stone is lamellated in the direction of the axis of its primitive form; but the chryslite from Saxony is foliated in a perpendicular direction to the same axis. The chryslite of the ancients was the same gem which is now called topaz, and the name, of itself, indicates that it ought to be so.—Pliny says that the colour of the chryslite is yellow like gold.

CHRYSLITE-PASTE, a kind of glass made in imitation of natural chryslite, by mixing two ounces of prepared crystal with ten ounces of red lead, adding 12 grains of crocus martis made with vinegar; and then baking the whole for 24 hours, or longer, in a well luted cucurbit.