What's your favourite mineral?  And for any particular reason?
456150
I don't know what a proper mineral is...but I'll tell you what I like...\n\nDIAMOND: it's pure carbon, it is transparent as water...and I LOVE WATER.\n\nGOLD: I like its brightness and colour...and it reminds me of the Olympics, and of my sporting heroes...\n\nEMERALD: I love its green colour.\n\nOPAL: it's an Australian material, not as precious as gold...but it has a wonderful combination of colours. It is amazing.\n\nAQUAMARINE: I love its colour and purity, and it reminds me of the OCEAN.
62168
My favorite color is Green.  I just think it is a very beautiful color.
121579
There can be favorite kinds of toothpastes? :P Colgate I'd say...
507727
I personally love Cytomax. It has potassium in it and sodium to fight off the cramps. As a marathon runner, it seems to immediately replenish my lost electrolites and help me maintain stamina.  Plus that, it tastes pretty good.
1114354
It's a mineral. Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide.
96253
Calcite...my favorite mineral!!! (Calcium carbonate, get it?)\n\nHardness is the most obvious. Calcite is 3 on Moh's scale. Quite soft! and quartz is 7.\n\nA penny, a nail or knife, a glass plate, all will help you separate these two. The quartz will scratch everything there. \n\nOne more test, that I didn't put on your other list that is the best test here, the acid test. A dilute acid will fizz when applied to the calcite, while the quartz will not react at all. This is why all good geologists carry around a bottle of acid in the field. Quartz (sandstone) and calcite (limestone) can be deceptively similar in appearance. \n\nThese two are good examples of why you cannot rely on just color or shape. Both quartz and calcite come in a variety of colors, depending on the impurity, and both can be completely opaque.(Think of rose quartz, milky quartz, amethyst, etc, and realize that calcite has as much variety) Both can be very similar crystal shapes since they are both in the trigonal system. Both have a white streak. Both have a glassy (vitreous) luster. \nCalcite:\nhttp://webmineral.com/data/Calcite.shtml\nQuartz:\nhttp://webmineral.com/data/Quartz.shtml\n\nThere is one more online resource I think you should look at:http://www.mindat.org/\nWebmineral.com is better for the questions you have asked, but mindat.org is very comprehensive and will have photos of more variations of the minerals that might help you understand the challenge of picking which properties are best for which minerals. On a lab test, you may be given samples to test that you have never seen, and they may be minerals you have seen before but in a different form (yes- its a trick), so knowing your tests can save you.\n\nBy the way, I just noticed your question about why color should be used with caution for identifying minerals. I think this answer is a good example of that. Many minerals come in many different colors due to some small impurity in the mineral. Both quartz and calcite come in almost every color of the rainbow. Fluorite is another good example of a mineral that can come in many different colors. Other examples are the many copper compounds which come in various shades of blues and greens. Because there are so many different copper minerals with the same color you can't use the color as a diagnostic for any one of them.
728141
ummm...anything really\n\nNaCl\n\nwater\n\npotassium chromate\n\nwhatever you want\n\npure substances like iron or nitrogen etc
297800
How the hell did you manage to eat limestone?\nLime+lye are poisonous,but I dont think limestone is
469578
I don't know, don't tell me, please let me guess. I like surprises. Are you animal, mineral, fruit or vegetable? . . . Maybe just a hint?
860104
the first could be either Flourite (4), Apatite (5) or Orthoclase (6).  The second could be either Topaz (8) or Corundum (9).
879268
Zinc is by far the best element. I also like plutonium.  It's just fun to say. "Plutonium."
1028165
Oh yea sparkly shiny things are great, I collect Swarovski Crystals....I love the way the light shines on them and creates little rainbows all over...instant happiness.....lol
80193
Mine's gotta be ice - I absolutely love the cold! Fire doesn't really appeal to me (I hate the heat - even from a warm oven, or a burning fireplace). Besides, ice can be scuplted into different shapes (which just proves how incredibly versatile it is).\n\nFire on the other hand is just a flame licking all over the place, burning with passion and searing with heat.\n\nThat of course, is not to say that I'm a cold hearted guy with an icy stare. I just like the ice... =p
1129625
Here are some potential sources:\n\nhttp://www.bestcrystals.com/ulexite.htm\n\nhttp://www.northwestnatureshop.com/department/Rocks_and_Minerals/Rock_and_Mineral_Specimens/592.html\n\nI'm sure you could find more if you googled it like I did.
695150
This past summer the wife and I took a trip to NC. Spruce Pine to be precise. We went "Rock Hounding" or "Gem Mining" at place called  Gem Mountain.\n\nhttp://www.gemmountain.com/aquamarine.htm\n\nWhile at Gem Mountain we purchased one bucket of minerals and mined at their Aquamarine mine near by.\n\nWe found some nice specimens, but one in particular stuck a nerve, The image of this Aquamarine is posted at my site, Take a look:\n\nhttp://my.opera.com/TheMineralExchange/albums/showpic.dml?album=157930&picture=2347315\n\nOk.. so after viewing the image, Aquamarine's stats are as follows:\nA) : Green-blue\nB) : White\nC) : 2.63-2.91\nD) : 7 1/2-8\nE) : Hexagonal\nF) : Imperfect\nG) : Conchoidal, Uneven, Brittle.\n\nHey Teacher?. did I pass?
41083
I absolutely LOVE water! It is so refreshing. My favorite is Aquafina. :)
265895
So What is one of my favorites