Fluorite, the purple gemstone of many colors

October 26, 8:37 PMJewelry ExaminerLorraine Yapps Cohen

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   Fluorite in the familiar purple color

Fluorite is the purple gemstone that shows up in other colors.

Okay, I admit it. Purple is my favorite gemstone color. That would put fluorite among my favorite gemstones. While fluorite is indeed a purple gemstone, it comes in other colors too, namely gray, green, blue, pink, yellow, and without any color, as white. Fluorite is reputed to be the most colorful mineral in the world.

Fluorite is CaF2. It’s a halide mineral containing fluorine, a Group VII element on the periodic chart, joining other halide elements such as chlorine and bromine. Fluorite is “happy,” an unscientific expression I made up to describe a chemically stable molecule. I like to think that all that stability made for all those colors too. But the scientific truth of the matter is that the colors come from impurities, exposure to light, and the nature of fluorine’s color centers.
 

Green, purple, and blue colors all in single fluorite stones.  Design by Lorraine Yapps Cohen.

Fluorite fluoresces. I should say some does, sometimes, and depends on where the fluorite was found. Fluorescence occurs under ultraviolet (UV) light. Energy levels of electrons are elevated by the UV light. They relax back to their stable energy state and release quanta of energy in the form of visible light. That light is usually emitted in the blue wavelength, but can also be red, yellow, green, and white, the same colors in which we find fluorite. And not surprising, the color of the emitted light relates to where the fluorite was found.

Besides jewelry, fluorite is used as a flux in steel production, in the manufacture of hydrofluoric acid, an etching agent, and as a glass in camera lenses and telescopes.
 

I use fluorite in my jewelry designs. Because it comes in so many colors and has a colored clear translucence, polished fluorites are gemstones that get attention. Besides, purple is my favorite color.

Look for fluorite in your favorite color in hand-crafted gemstone jewelry, available in fine art and jewelry galleries.

Lorraine writes on gemstone and jewelry topics.  Consult her list of articles HERE.