Approximate retail prices. Wholesale + private sale typically 40-60% of retail. Auction premium 10-25%. For investment-grade purchase steps, see the investment checklist.
Crystal Structure
Cubic; F⁻ in simple-cubic, Ca²⁺ in 1/2 of FCC voids.
External databases provide CIF (Crystallographic Information File) downloads + interactive 3D viewers. AMCSD: American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database (free, RRUFF-hosted). COD: open community-curated database.
Elemental Composition (by mass)
Element
Mass %
Visual
CaCalcium
51.33%
FFluorine
48.67%
Computed from simplified end-member formula. Solid-solution series, water content, and trace substitutions cause real-world variation.
Standard symbol from American Mineralogist (Whitney & Evans, 2010). Used in thin-section labeling, phase diagrams, and IMA-style species records.
⏳ Long-term Aging & Care Timeline
color center fadeyears to decades
Trigger: sustained sunlight
Intervention: Some color-zoned material loses purple/blue color. Indirect lighting preserves color longer.
Pronunciation
/ˈflʊəraɪt/
↔ FLOOR-ite
Latin "to flow"
Lapidary & Faceting Recommendations
Recommended cut:
cabochon / fantasy
Also seen:
cushion, fantasy
Typical yield:
30% of rough
Cleaves on {111} — most faceted fluorite has fantasy shapes that avoid stress on cleavage. Generally not cut into traditional jewelry stones.
⚠ Safety & Handling
☼light-sensitivemoderate
Some color-center colors fade in sunlight over years.
Handling: Display under indirect or filtered light if pristine color matters.
Information provided in good faith. Consult local hazmat regulations for transport and disposal. Severely hazardous specimens may require special storage cabinets.
UV Fluorescence
SW (254 nm)
Blue / violet
strong
LW (365 nm)
Blue / violet
strong
⏱ Phosphorescence: yes (some)
Origin of the word "fluorescence". Color varies widely with REE content. Daylight-fluorescent material (yttrofluorite) glows in sunlight.
SW = shortwave (germicidal lamp). LW = longwave (blacklight). Response varies with locality, trace impurities, and treatment.
A pseudomorph (Greek "false form") is a mineral with the external shape of another species — the chemistry has changed but the crystal habit is inherited. › Full catalogue
Tenacity
Behavior:
brittle
Under stress:
Cleaves octahedrally
Sharp blow yields octahedral cleavage fragments.
Luster
vitreous
Glassy.
Color Cause (Chromophore)
Chromophore:
F-center / REE
Mechanism:
electron color centers + rare earth elements
Color produced:
multiple
Color centers (Schottky defects) plus REE inclusions (Y, Ce, Sm) produce wide color range. Heating destroys color.
Test with rare-earth magnet (N42 or N52 neodymium). Suspend specimen on thread for sensitive paramagnetic detection. Diamagnetic minerals are weakly repelled (visible only with strong magnets like bismuth).
Diagnostic Field Tests
Hardness→ Mohs 4 — knife scratches it
A steel knife scratches fluorite; fluorite scratches calcite.
UV fluorescence→ Often strong blue/violet (LW)
Source of the word "fluorescence" — varies widely by locality.
HCl test→ No reaction
Distinguishes from carbonates of similar habit.
⚠ Use dilute HCl (~10%) only on inconspicuous spots; rinse promptly. Smell-tests should be brief and ventilated. Taste-test ONLY halite/sylvite — never lead, arsenic, or sulfur minerals.
Specific Gravity
3.18–3.20
g/cm³
medium
CaF₂; classic medium-density reference.
For comparison: water = 1.00, glass ≈ 2.5, quartz = 2.65, corundum ≈ 4.00, galena ≈ 7.50, gold ≈ 19.3.
Streak Test
white
Almost always white regardless of color.
Streak = color of the powdered mineral. Drag specimen across unglazed white porcelain plate (Mohs 6.5). For minerals harder than the plate, crush a small flake into powder and observe color.
Mississippi Valley type Pb-Zn deposits host the great commercial fluorite. Chinese sphalerite-fluorite veins are world-class.
Characteristic Inclusions
Phantom crystalsgrowth-pattern★ diagnostic
Earlier growth stages visible as ghost cubes inside the host. Common in Chinese material.
Two-phase inclusionstwo-phase
Hexagonal or rounded negative crystals with fluid + bubble.
★ Diagnostic inclusions are characteristic enough to help identify origin or species under 10× loupe.
Twinning Laws
Penetration twinpenetration
Two cubes interpenetrating along {111}. Classic Cumbria specimens.
Care notesDry brush only. Avoid water if uncertain — some fluorite reacts to chlorinated tap water by surface etching. Never ultrasonic-clean (shatters cleavage). Full cleaning guide →
Formation eraHydrothermal late-stage; English fluorite Permian ~280 Ma.
★★★★★4.96 / 5based on 49 customer reviews across 269 specimens
Cleavage & Fracture
Cleavage:
perfect4 directions {111} — octahedral
Fracture:
conchoidal
Classic octahedral cleavage. Striking when cleaved along {111}.
🟢
Market availability: Common
Widely available in most dealer stocks. Specimens span all price tiers.
⭐
Collector tier: Cabinet Classic
World-class display species — sought after for cabinet collections, well-documented localities, frequent show-piece pieces.
Fluorite is one of the most popular collector minerals in the world — and the single most important Chinese export species. Its perfect octahedral cleavage, sharp cubic crystals, and saturated color zoning have made Chinese fluorite the global benchmark for the last two decades.
Text size:AAA
Fluorite is one of the most popular collector minerals in the world — and the single most important Chinese export species. Its perfect octahedral cleavage, sharp cubic crystals, and saturated color zoning have made Chinese fluorite the global benchmark for the last two decades.
The Yaogangxian Mine in Hunan and the Xianghualing district produce the world's most architecturally perfect fluorite crystals — sharp 5-10 cm cubes with deep blue-green color zoning, often perched on milky quartz or wolframite. Hunan green fluorite is the international reference for top-tier collector grade.
Always test on an inconspicuous edge first. Save the test for unimportant specimens — better to use a streak plate or knowledge of locality + paragenesis.
Cite this entry
APA
MyMineralBox Editorial Team. (2026). Fluorite. My Mineral Box. Retrieved May 23, 2026, from https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/fluorite/
MLA
MyMineralBox Editorial Team. "Fluorite." My Mineral Box, 2026, https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/fluorite/. Accessed May 23, 2026.
Chicago
MyMineralBox Editorial Team. "Fluorite." My Mineral Box. Last modified May 4, 2026. https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/fluorite/.
BibTeX
@misc{mmb_fluorite,
author = {{MyMineralBox Editorial Team}},
title = {{Fluorite}},
year = {2026},
publisher = {My Mineral Box},
url = {https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/fluorite/},
urldate = {2026-05-23}
}
Identification & care
Specimens usually show cubic, octahedral, cuboctahedral; massive, granular. Its color range is broad, including purple, lilac, golden-yellow, green, colorless, blue, pink, champagne, brown, red, and black. The luster is vitreous, dull, the streak is white, and specimens range from transparent to translucent. The cleavage is perfect octahedral {111}. The fracture is irregular/uneven, which aids identification.
Collector context
How it forms
Fluorite forms in hydrothermal veins, limestone/dolomite replacement, pegmatites. It is commonly found in association with calcite, barite, quartz, galena, sphalerite.
Classic Chinese localities
**Shangbao Mine**, **Xianghualing Sn-polymetallic ore field**, and **Yaogangxian W-Sn ore field** are each a benchmark source for fluorite.
Why collectors care
Collectors pursue Fluorite for the clarity of its crystal form and, in good material, saturated color that reads instantly across a display case. A well-terminated fluorite on clean matrix photographs well, identifies quickly, and anchors a cabinet piece. Top Chinese specimens over the last two decades have reset the bar for what fluorite looks like at collector grade.
What affects value
Value in Fluorite is assessed, in typical order of weight, against: (1) locality provenance; (2) size relative to the species norm; (3) crystal form and termination sharpness; (4) color saturation and zoning; (5) transparency and internal clarity; (6) matrix quality and aesthetic balance; (7) condition (absence of damage, chips, or repair). Cleaning quality and verified locality documentation act as multipliers across the above.
Naming history
The name Fluorite has a specific etymological and historical context — see Mindat's reference entry for provenance details. We have retained naming data at the record level; published prose is paraphrased from factual fields rather than copied from source.