Seraphinite is a trade name for a particular form of clinochlore, a member of the Chlorite group

Chlorite group

The chlorites are a group of phyllosilicate minerals. Chlorites can be described by the following four endmembers based on their chemistry via substitution of the following four elements in the silicate lattice; Mg, Fe, Ni, and Mn....

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Seraphinite apparently acquired its name due to its resemblance to feathers, such as one might find on a bird's wing. With some specimens the resemblance is quite strong, with shorter down-like feathery growths leading into longer "flight feathers"; the resemblance even spurs fanciful marketing phrases like "silver plume seraphinite." Seraphinite is generally dark green to gray in color, has chatoyancy

Chatoyancy

In gemology, chatoyancy , or chatoyance, is an optical reflectance effect seen in certain gemstones. Coined from the French "œil de chat," meaning "cat's eye," chatoyancy arises either from the fibrous structure of a material, as in tiger eye quartz, or from fibrous inclusions or cavities within...

, and has hardness between 2 and 4 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness

Mohs scale of mineral hardness

The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. It was created in 1812 by the German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs and is one of several definitions of hardness in...

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Seraphinite is mined in a limited area of eastern Siberia in Russia. Russian mineralogist Nikolay Koksharov

Nikolay Koksharov

Nikolai Ivanovich Koksharov was a Russian mineralogist, crystallographer, and major general in the Russian army....

 (1818-1892 or 1893) is often credited with its discovery.

The word Seraph

Seraph

A seraph is a type of celestial being in Judaism and Christianity...

is from Isaiah 6 in the Hebrew Testament, and refers to winged angelic beings in service of God.