Muscovite on Stand

A form of mica, Muscovite forms in extremely thin sheets with low Mohs ratings (2 parallel, 4 perpendicular). It can be colorless or tinted, and can be transparent or translucent. Due to this transparency, Muscovite was originally used as a cheaper alternative for glass in medieval Russia- Elizabethan England named the mineral Muscovite due to this relation (Muscovy is the Principality of Moscow).