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Fluorite: Too Soft for Jewelry?
There are many jewelers who think that it is ill-advised to use Fluorite in jewelry - let me state right up front, I am definitely not one of them! While Fluorite requires careful handling, its beauty far outweighs any disadvantages. Originally identified over 1500 years ago, England was for many years its chief source, with the blue, violet and purple banded variety of Fluorite mined in the district of Derbyshire being used primarily as a popular carving material for bowls and vases.
Fluorite has historically been plagued by two factors that have made it's use in jewelry difficult; first, it has perfect cleavage - so whatever you do, do not drop this gemstone, it will break if it strikes a hard surface. Fluorite also has a Mohs hardness of 4 meaning that it is very soft and will even melt under the right conditions, in fact, the name Fluorite comes from the Latin "fluere," which means "to flow," because it melts so easily.
By now you must be asking yourself - why do I want to have anything to do with this stone, it must be more trouble than it's worth! My friend, in a word, it is all about the color. Fluorite occurs in a staggering array of colors including; violet, blue, green, yellow, brown, bluish black, pink, rose-red, colorless, and white. But it is the ravishing green, one which often reminds many people of the finest emeralds, that first attracts most people to this wondrous gem.
Although Fluorite can be found in many locations around the world, it is the striking New Hampshire green material that is stirring up the gem community due to its crystal clear clarity and rich color. Other notable source locations for Fluorite include; England, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, China, Brazil, Morocco, Canada, Mexico and Germany. In the US it is found throughout the East Coast and the Midwest.
Beauty, affordability, and its frequent availability in very large sizes make fluorite well worth the trouble of working around its delicate nature. It must be carefully set and is wisely restricted to use in pendants and earrings. It also must be worn, cleaned and stored with great care.
If color alone isn't enough to hook you, Fluorite has two other unique characteristics that just may endear it to you. Many types of Fluorite glow under ultraviolet light, they're said to be "fluorescent." (a term derived from the name of the stone, the first known substance to exhibit this property). Typically they fluoresce blue but other fluorescent colors include yellow, green, red, white and purple.
Fluorite will also often times exhibit a property called thermal luminescence or the ability to glow when heated. Not all types of Fluorite will do this, in fact it is quite a rare phenomenon. A variety of fluorite known as "chlorophane" demonstrates this property very well and will even thermo luminesce while the specimen is held in a person's hand (of course to see this effect you must be in a dark room, it is not bright enough to be seen in daylight).
Fluorite is very attractive and demand for it is growing. You owe it to yourself to take a good long look at this beautiful gemstone and discover why it earns its reputation as the most colorful stone in the world.
For More information on Fluorite:
Gem Library - Fluorite
Fluorite has historically been plagued by two factors that have made it's use in jewelry difficult; first, it has perfect cleavage - so whatever you do, do not drop this gemstone, it will break if it strikes a hard surface. Fluorite also has a Mohs hardness of 4 meaning that it is very soft and will even melt under the right conditions, in fact, the name Fluorite comes from the Latin "fluere," which means "to flow," because it melts so easily.
By now you must be asking yourself - why do I want to have anything to do with this stone, it must be more trouble than it's worth! My friend, in a word, it is all about the color. Fluorite occurs in a staggering array of colors including; violet, blue, green, yellow, brown, bluish black, pink, rose-red, colorless, and white. But it is the ravishing green, one which often reminds many people of the finest emeralds, that first attracts most people to this wondrous gem.
Although Fluorite can be found in many locations around the world, it is the striking New Hampshire green material that is stirring up the gem community due to its crystal clear clarity and rich color. Other notable source locations for Fluorite include; England, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, China, Brazil, Morocco, Canada, Mexico and Germany. In the US it is found throughout the East Coast and the Midwest.
Beauty, affordability, and its frequent availability in very large sizes make fluorite well worth the trouble of working around its delicate nature. It must be carefully set and is wisely restricted to use in pendants and earrings. It also must be worn, cleaned and stored with great care.
If color alone isn't enough to hook you, Fluorite has two other unique characteristics that just may endear it to you. Many types of Fluorite glow under ultraviolet light, they're said to be "fluorescent." (a term derived from the name of the stone, the first known substance to exhibit this property). Typically they fluoresce blue but other fluorescent colors include yellow, green, red, white and purple.
Fluorite will also often times exhibit a property called thermal luminescence or the ability to glow when heated. Not all types of Fluorite will do this, in fact it is quite a rare phenomenon. A variety of fluorite known as "chlorophane" demonstrates this property very well and will even thermo luminesce while the specimen is held in a person's hand (of course to see this effect you must be in a dark room, it is not bright enough to be seen in daylight).
Fluorite is very attractive and demand for it is growing. You owe it to yourself to take a good long look at this beautiful gemstone and discover why it earns its reputation as the most colorful stone in the world.
For More information on Fluorite:
Gem Library - Fluorite
Submitted on: June 16, 2009 @ 5:57am
Wednesday 
