# Fluorite

Fluorite is a colorful mineral that comes in many shades like purple, green, and blue. It is often used to make beautiful jewelry and decorations.

- **Category:** [Mineral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mineral)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Also known as:** Fluorspar

![Fluorite](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Fluorine_MHNT.MIN.2010.16.1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fluorine_MHNT.MIN.2010.16.1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Fluorite is a truly rainbow mineral, often found in vibrant shades of purple, green, blue, and yellow, sometimes even clear. It commonly forms beautiful cubic crystals, which can sometimes appear layered with different colors, making each specimen unique.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia

## Interesting facts

- Fluorite gets its name from the Latin word "fluere," meaning "to flow," due to its use as a flux.
- It was once carved into fancy cups by ancient Romans, who believed it added a special flavor to drinks!
- Some fluorite crystals show "color zoning," where different colored bands grow inside each other like rings.
- This mineral is essential for making special lenses in microscopes and telescopes due to its optical properties.

## Special abilities

- **Glow Power!:** Fluorite can glow brightly under ultraviolet light because it absorbs UV and re-emits it as visible light.
- **Perfect Split!:** Fluorite has perfect octahedral cleavage, meaning it can split into beautiful eight-sided shapes when hit correctly.
- **Super Strength Builder!:** Fluorite helps make strong steel and useful hydrofluoric acid because it contains fluorine, a very reactive element.

## Measurements & details

- **Color Range:** purple, green, blue, yellow, pink, clear
- **Hardness:** 4
- **Luster:** vitreous
- **Specific Gravity:** 3.18
- **Crystal System:** cubic

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Fluorescent](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fluorescent): Fluorescent minerals emit visible light when exposed to ultraviolet light or other non-visible radiation, a phenomenon called fluorescence.
- [Gemstone](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/gemstone): A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut and polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.
- [Crystalline](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/crystalline): Crystalline describes a mineral or rock composed of crystals, often exhibiting a regular atomic structure and geometric external form.
- [Fossil](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fossil): A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of an ancient organism embedded in rock or other geological deposits.

## Collections

- [Minerals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/minerals)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Fluorite is safe to handle, but it's best to wash your hands after touching it.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Fluorite?

Compare crystal faces, growth shape, clarity and how the crystals cluster. A polished or tumbled stone has lost much of the natural shape that makes identification easier. Crystal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### What colors can Fluorite be?

purple, green, blue, yellow, pink, clear

### How hard is Fluorite?

4

### What kind of luster does Fluorite have?

vitreous

### What is Fluorite's specific gravity?

3.18

### What crystal system does Fluorite belong to?

cubic

## More Mineral

- [Quartz Crystal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/quartz-crystal)
- [Amethyst](https://www.snappit.app/explore/amethyst)
- [Rose Quartz](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rose-quartz)
- [Citrine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/citrine)

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Source: [Fluorite: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/fluorite)