FLUORITE.
The Mind Masseuse
If you are drawn to Fluorite then it might be time to step off the hamster wheel. You’ve possibly overdone things and the stress is causing a mental fog which is clouding your view. Fluorite is a master problem solver, clearing your thoughts, releasing frustrations, curbing distractions, and allowing you to find order in the chaos. The clarity provided by Fluorite feels like a peppermint-fresh massage for the mind, ridding you of toxic thoughts, releasing tensions, and rejuvenating your aura.
Fluorite comes in a rainbow of colours and combinations, each adding to its spectrum of uses:
Green + Money, Healing, Abundance, New Beginnings
Yellow + Manifestation, Success, Strength, Boss Babe Power
Blue + Communication, Trust, Patience, Angelic Connections
Purple + Higher Consciousness, Sleep, Lucid Dreaming, Intuition, Enlightenment
Pink + Self Love, Community, Calming, Knowledge
Orange + Courage, Creativity, Sexuality
White/ Transparent + Cleansing, Purity, Cosmic Portals, Healing
Pink Fluorite, La Collada, Asturias, Spain, Europe
© The Smithsonian
An intrinsically interesting crystal, Fluorite is underrated for its magic. While everyone seems to head for Quartz and Selenite for their rituals and practices, Fluorite is often chosen by those in the know who are looking for a more supple, flexible, and naturally flowing energy tool.
Shine a UV light on Fluorite and it will generally fluoresce blue, other specimens glow a creamy colour, and there is a rare Fluorite from Japan that fluoresces yellow. Fluorite specimens from the mines (operated by UK Mining Ventures) in Weardale, County Durham, UK, are extra special as they fluorescence in natural sunlight (inside they appear green, take them outside and they look blue). It’s not just the range of colours that makes Fluorite so special it is also the vast array of habitats (shapes) it forms from banded and massive, to cubic, octahedral, twinned, and botryoidal.
Fluorite with Quartz, Milky Way Pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.
Fluorite cluster from the Poison Ivy Pocket, Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.
Fluorite with zoning from The Bull Vein, Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.
Fluorite is mined far and wide with the most prominent deposits in China, the US, Mexico, the UK, Africa, Canada, Mongolia, and Argentina. Blue John also known as Derbyshire Spar, was considered the most decorative of all Fluorite, formed in the late Carboniferous - early Permian, it is very rare and only mined in Derbyshire, UK. The colour banding is why it is prized, consisting of purple, blue, and yellow Fluorite, it was carved into decorative ornamental pieces.
Blue John and Ormolu Urn, ca 1790
© The Met Museum
Buyer’s Guide to Fluorite
To be honest, Fluorite is my Holy Grail crystal. I have a vast and varied collection and it is somewhat of an addiction. High-quality or rare Fluorite is much sought after on the mineral connoisseur scene and prices can be obscene, think carefully before you begin collecting and decide how far down the rabbit hole you wish to go.
I’ve split this section into 3 parts:
Private Buyers
Serious Specimen Collectors
Retail Buyers
1. Private Buyers
For the general crystal buyer you really can’t go too wrong with a piece of Fluorite, always check for damage and a high-quality polish but generally just choose a colour and shape that you vibe with. A pure light green translucent tower looks stunning as does a rainbow banded tower. Pale coloured, translucent spheres showcase the beautiful interior structures inside often containing multiple rainbows. For those using Fluorite for meditation or as a daily mental de-stressor then a pocket stone works very well.
If you want something a bit more “special” maybe choose a raw piece of Fluorite showcasing its natural cubic or botryoidal shapes, for those on a budget you can buy single natural Fluorite octahedral which look very cool. Sometimes visitors in the store couldn’t believe they were natural! You can grab quite some bargains on Etsy if you are looking for something specific. If you buy online remember that if you have your heart set on a certain piece in the picture then contact the seller to check you actually get that specific piece and not that it’s just the display piece for the photos.
Fluorite Sphere, China.
Yellow and Purple Fluorite, USA.
Green Octahedral Fluorite, China.
2. Serious Specimen Collectors
For the serious collector, you have the most fantastical options but be prepared to pay big money. Maybe choose to collect from a specific region, colour, or habitat (shape). Only set out to get one of every possible option if you are aiming for a lifetime's work.
Chinese Fluorite
China is a massive source of very high-end Fluorite specimens which are carefully hand-mined due to their fragile nature and high value. Fluorite is sometimes discovered when they are mining for other minerals (usually for your mobile phone or used in lithium batteries for electric vehicles). You can often get very good pieces for decent prices by joining Live Sales on Instagram from Chinese sellers. It is best to watch a few first so you understand the process, listen carefully for the rules and how to bid, always confirm the price with the seller, and remember shipping (added to your invoice) and import taxes (you need to pay locally to the shipper) will be added to the final price. Sometimes it pays to keep an “open basket” with a seller so you can join a few sales, find a few pieces and ship them together. If you don’t see what you want, ask the Live Sale team, they will usually be able to find it for you during the Live Sale or later. Always pay with PayPal as you are then protected if there are any issues, and PayPal will generally issue you with a refund.
Green Fluorite massive topped with purple octahedral Fluorite, China.
‘Sugar’ Fluorite, China.
Fluorite with Pyrite, China.
French Fluorite
The most collectable French Fluorite comes from the Fluorite mines in Valzergues, Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron, in the Occitanie, region of France. It is cubic in habitat with a yellow core and blue surface zoning. The best quality has rich colours with a 2-3mm blue surface zone of blue. You can usually find good specimens online but if you would like to hand-pick from the best array then head to the International Mineral & Gem Show in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France (usually held annually at the end of June). Can’t make it? A lot of Instagram crystal sellers and high-end retailers attend this event to buy European stock, check if your usual store/seller will be attending and ask if they can find a piece for you. If you can’t afford one of these epic pieces there are interesting yellow cubic Fluorite from Morocco.
Yellow Fluorite with Pyrite, Morocco.
Artisan Mined Fluorite
The Erongo mountains in Namibia are producing really interesting truncated octahedron specimens. These can be found online by searching for “Erongo Fluorite.” There are also many excellent artisan miners selling via Instagram but always use PayPal to protect your transaction.
Weird Fluorite
If you are looking for weirdo Fluorite then Mongolia has something for you. Again just search online “Mongolia Fluorite” to find an array of whacky options.
Colour Change Fluorite
The UK has some fabulous cottage industry Fluorite mines the most prominent of which is UK Mining Ventures (mentioned above). They operate in Weardale, County Durham, UK and are one of the very few places that have Fluorite which fluoresces in natural daylight. Green Fluorite crystals become blue when exposed to natural light. Their mines produce mainly cubic (and twin cubic) Fluorite a range of colours from green, white, sherry, purple, and yellow sometimes with amazing multicoloured zoning and nodules of Gelena. They have several mines such as Diana Maria Mine, Rogerley Mine, and then name each pocket of Fluorite crystals that they mine such as Northern Lights, Greedy Hog, Bull Vein, Purple Rain, Sherry Twins, Honey Bear, Super Nova, and Milky Way Pocket.
They run separate Live Sales for private buyers and wholesalers. The private buyer sales (Instagram Live Sales) showcase amazing specimens and smaller entry-level pieces which have the best quality. Wholesalers (Facebook Live Sales) are also offered flats (trays of multiple pieces) and buckets of smaller lower-grade pieces and the company can be found at many of the big crystal shows such as Tuscon, Denver, and Munich. You can buy their pieces from some crystal sellers (usually who have bought the flats) but if you want the best quality then it's best to shop with them directly via Instagram Live Sales, all prices are in dollars, and they ship worldwide - @ukminingventures
Twin Fluorite with zoning, Fairy Holes Pocket, Lady Annabella Mine, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.
Empty Your Bank Account Fluorite
For high-end collectors (with very deep pockets), looking for specific regional specimens, these sites are very good:
UK specimens: www.crystalclassics.co.uk
US specimens (and worldwide): www.irocks.com (The Arkenstone)
Purple Fluorite on a yellow Fluorite massive base with white Calcite as tertiary growth, Denton Mine, Illinois.
3. Retail Buyer
If you are buying Fluorite wholesale as a retailer then some formats sell better than others:
Pocket Stones: Green and Purple (lightish shade) pocket stones sell very well and are usually robust enough to be put out in a bowl in a retail store or shipped from a webshop.
Carved: Towers, Spheres, and Cubes do well if the colour is good. Towers should be translucent (avoid opaque) with good colour and banded if possible. The pale green Fluorite, Rainbow Fluorite, and banded champagne yellow/purple Fluorite used to sell the best. Check with your seller that all towers stand straight as often they have wonky base cuts and you will struggle to sell those. When buying Spheres or Cubes then look for a great colour or banding, translucency, and a high-shine polish. Cubes are more expensive (probably due to the cutting and polishing process), so you will get more value for money/margin with spheres. If you are having them shipped to you then ensure they are packed very well and any tower tips are protected as Fluorite can break along its natural bands or cleavage zones (same goes for shipping from a webshop - pack well!).
Skulls & Animals: There are a lot of carved shapes of Fluorite available from Chinese wholesalers including skulls (sell well in-store and online), animals (sell well as spirit guides via Live Sales online), fairies (sell ok on live sales if that’s your audience vibe), and deities (sell less well). Don’t buy too many of these as you can sit on them for a while. Anything delicate like dragonflies, dragons with spikes etc can break easily so pack well. I’ve personally broken quite a few!
Raw Specimens: If you are looking for interesting specimen pieces then the price can be high and these take longer to sell especially if you have a spiritual shop and not a specialist mineral shop. If you want raw (clusters) then there are some good value-for-money cubic dark green clusters coming out of Madagascar, so ask your wholesaler for those. I would advise raw chunks of Fluorite (4-5 cm wide) these are cheap and sell well in-store. A client favourite in a retail environment will be green and purple octahedral-shaped Fluorite as they look amazing, spiritual peeps love them, collectors love them, and they make amazing crystal grids, and unusual gifts for a very reasonable price.
Jewellery: You can sell Fluorite in jewellery but be aware it is more fragile than other stones such as Quartz so breakage percentages will be higher, it isn’t a rough daily wear crystal. Rainbow Fluorite bracelets with round beads tend to perform well and break less.
Most of the Fluorite that you will come across will be from China. If you are going down the “ethical sourcing” route then your only solid options right now are UK and US sources of origin but these are usually specimens, and thus a higher price point. If anyone knows of ethical sources, artisan mines, or producers please let me know and I will spread the word.
Double-Terminated Rainbow Fluorite Wand, China.
Green Fluorite Cluster, Madagascar.
Pale Green Fluorite Pocket Stone, China.
Quick Guide | Fluorite
Zodiac: Fluorite is associated with the zodiac sign Capricorn.
Ruling Planet: Fluorite’s ruling planet is Mercury.
Chakra: Fluorite is associated with the Heart (Anahata) (green Fluorite) and Third Eye (Ajna) (Purple Fluorite) Chakra.
Element: Fluorite is connected to the element Water.
Crystal Charging: Fluorite can be charged overnight under a full moon. Fluorite is quite varied, some darker pieces you will feel need a cleanse with Sage smoke while others lighter pieces your instinct may say require Palo Santo, incense or even Selenite. Go with your gut.
Crystal Elixir: Fluorite is water safe so can be used for making crystal elixir. However, Fluorite tumbles can shatter so be careful when adding them to glassware. Best to use raw (cleaned) Fluorite chunks.
Crystal Care: Fluorite can be cleaned with warm water, a soft cloth, a soft make-up brush, or a compressed air duster. Fluorite will eventually fade in the sun so keep out of direct sunlight.
The chemical formula for Fluorite: CaF₂