Holmium was discovered using spectroscopy by Marc Delafontaine and Jacques-Louis Soret in 1878. in 1879 during the extraction of the mineral Erbia a brown substance was obtained which was Holmium oxide. The name Holmium comes from the Greek word Holmia which is the greek for Stockholm. Holmium compounds tend to be brownish yellow in colour and Holmium has unusual magnetic properties. Due to this it is used in the production of magnets and also used as a colouring in cubic zirconia. It is a solid metal at room temperature with a melting point of 1461°c and a boiling point of 2720°c.