Muscovite History of the muscovite stone Muscovite was first described in 1850 by mineralogical specialist James Wight Dana. It is a mineral belonging to the silicate group, to the phyllosilicate subgroup, and to the micas family. The latter is divided into two groups: white mica and black mica (biotites). Muscovite belongs to the group of white micas, which are rich in aluminum and potassium. Its name is inspired by the Latin “vitrum muscoviticum” (Moscow glass). Indeed, towards the end of the 18th century, Siberia used muscovite stone to create numerous objects originally made of glass: windows, lanterns, stoves, portholes of Navy vessels, etc.