Judging quality
Greener and usually more translucent than turquoise, with a waxy lustre. Much material is stabilised; ask.
Phosphate
Variscite
A soft apple-green phosphate that looks like green turquoise and forms in the same way, by phosphate-rich water percolating through aluminous rock. Utah nodules with black spiderweb matrix are the prize material.
Care
Porous and soft. Keep from oils, perfume and heat.
History & lore
Named for the Variscia region of Saxony; Neolithic Iberian burials contain variscite beads mined at Gavà near Barcelona.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Variscite
- What is Variscite?
- A soft apple-green phosphate that looks like green turquoise and forms in the same way, by phosphate-rich water percolating through aluminous rock. Utah nodules with black spiderweb matrix are the prize material.
- How hard is Variscite and what is it made of?
- Variscite is a Phosphate-family mineral with the composition AlPO4·2H2O. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and rates 3.5-4.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in apple green, mint, green.
- Where does Variscite come from?
- Notable localities for Variscite include Utah, USA (Fairfield), Nevada, USA, Australia, Spain.
- How do you tell good Variscite from filler?
- Greener and usually more translucent than turquoise, with a waxy lustre. Much material is stabilised; ask.
- How do you care for Variscite?
- Porous and soft. Keep from oils, perfume and heat.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.