1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Zincite
ZINCITE, a mineral consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO), crystallizing in the hemimorphic-hemihedral class of the rhombohedral system. Distinct crystals are of rare occurrence; they have the form of a hexagonal pyramid terminated at one end only by a basal plane. There is a perfect cleavage parallel to the basal plane, and usually the mineral is found as platy foliated masses. The blood-red colour and the orange-yellow streak are characteristic features. The hardness is 412, and the specific gravity is 5.6. Some manganese is usually present replacing zinc. It is found in the zinc mines at Sterling Hill and Franklin Furnace in Sussex county, New Jersey, where it is associated with franklinite and willemite in crystalline limestone, and is mined as an ore of zinc. Artificial crystals of a white or yellowish colour are not infrequently formed by sublimation in zinc furnaces.