How to clean it
Warm soapy water, no ultrasonic. Soft at 4 and cleaves in four directions.
Purple, green, blue, yellow, often banded
Fluorite
Properties
Composition
Calcium fluoride (CaF₂)
Hardness (Mohs)
4
Crystal system
Cubic
Colour
Purple, green, blue, yellow, often banded
Mined in
China, Mexico, UK (Derbyshire), USA, Namibia
Worth knowing
Fluorescence is named after this mineral — many specimens glow blue-violet under ultraviolet light.
History
Blue John fluorite has been mined in Derbyshire since Roman times.
Practical
Caring for Fluorite
How to tell it is real
Genuine fluorite usually fluoresces blue-violet under UV — the mineral gave fluorescence its name. Glass imitations do not.
One general rule covers most mistakes: never store stones loose together. Diamond at 10 on the Mohs scale scratches everything else you own, and it does not need much contact to do it.
What that hardness means in practice
Soft. Keep it away from other jewellery in storage — harder stones will scratch it in a shared box.
Traditional associations
Fluorite is traditionally associated with concentration, sorting priorities and mental order. In chakra systems it is placed at the Third Eye, Heart, and in elemental correspondence it is assigned to Air.
These are cultural associations recorded across various traditions, not claims about physical effects. The composition and hardness above are measurable; this paragraph is folklore, and worth reading as such.
Questions
What is Fluorite made of?
Calcium fluoride (CaF₂), crystallising in the cubic system.
Where does Fluorite come from?
China, Mexico, UK (Derbyshire), USA, Namibia.
How do I clean Fluorite?
Warm soapy water, no ultrasonic. Soft at 4 and cleaves in four directions.
How can I tell if Fluorite is real?
Genuine fluorite usually fluoresces blue-violet under UV — the mineral gave fluorescence its name. Glass imitations do not.
Can I wear it every day?
At 4 on the Mohs scale, not in a ring. Keep it to pieces that take fewer knocks.