Stone 101
Purple and green stripes in one stone. It gave its name to fluorescence.
Fluorite often comes banded in purple, green and clear, like a stack of coloured glass. Here you'll find spheres, points, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and natural specimens.
The basics
Fluorite is calcium fluoride. It grows as neat cubes, and it splits cleanly into little eight-sided shapes called octahedrons.
Bands of purple, green and clear in one piece are called rainbow fluorite. It's soft for a crystal, Mohs 4, so it scratches more easily than quartz.
Rituals, not rules
These are traditions people enjoy, not promises. Pick the one you keep coming back to.
Care
Straight talk
Most fluorite is natural, since it's common and affordable. Watch for glass sold as fluorite: real fluorite is softer and its colour sits in bands. If a piece of ours were ever dyed or man-made, the title would say so.
Good questions
It's traditionally linked with focus, order and clear thinking, so many call it a study stone. Most people just love the stripes.
It's fluorite with several colours in one piece, usually purple, green and clear in bands. The colours come from tiny traces of other elements and natural radiation in the rock.
Mohs 4, softer than glass and much softer than quartz. It can scratch or chip if it's knocked around, so it's happiest on a shelf or desk.
Skip long soaks and salt water. A quick rinse dried right away is fine. For a traditional cleanse, people use smoke, sound or a night on selenite.
