Apatite: More than a Load of Fertilizer
Apatite in black wire on a bead woven necklace
Pronunciation: sounds just like appetite
Other names: none that I know of.
Source: Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Mexico, Brazil, Madagascar. Apatite is quite common.
Appearance: Blue-violet, white, yellow, orange, green, gray, colorless, and one mine in Brazil produces a pink variety. It has varying degrees of translucency. It sometimes has a Schiller appearance or chatoyance (which means a cat's eye type of shimmer). It is a soft stone, which is the means by which it is differentiated from similar-looking beryl and aquamarine.
Birthstone: none.
Chakra Association: Throat (blue variety - others vary).
Astrological association: Aquarius.
Elemental association: Water, air.
Associated deities: The stone has been associated with Gaia, the earth mother, who was born out of primordial Chaos.
Other names: none that I know of.
Source: Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Mexico, Brazil, Madagascar. Apatite is quite common.
Appearance: Blue-violet, white, yellow, orange, green, gray, colorless, and one mine in Brazil produces a pink variety. It has varying degrees of translucency. It sometimes has a Schiller appearance or chatoyance (which means a cat's eye type of shimmer). It is a soft stone, which is the means by which it is differentiated from similar-looking beryl and aquamarine.
Birthstone: none.
Chakra Association: Throat (blue variety - others vary).
Astrological association: Aquarius.
Elemental association: Water, air.
Associated deities: The stone has been associated with Gaia, the earth mother, who was born out of primordial Chaos.
Natural information and other uses: There are several different minerals that can bear this name, but the most common is fluoroapatite. It is rich in phosphorus and for this reason its primary use is in the manufacture of fertilizer for plants. It has a hexagonal crystal formation pattern.
Legends and lore: The name for apatite comes from the Greek word to deceive because it is easily mistaken for other stones.
Metaphysical information: Apatite is a stone of personal power, and a powerful aid in communication and public speaking, being strongly associated with the throat chakra. It aids in focus and time management. It can be used as a dream stone for problem solving and visualization. It can be used to bring vague ideas into concrete reality. It helps distinguish the important from the unimportant. It is a stone of generation and rebirth.
Healing: Because of its phosphorus content it is an excellent stone for calcium absorption and bone and dental health. Some say it helps with hunger suppression (this seems fishy to me, based entirely on the name, but I thought I'd include it since I found the info in several sources).
Care: Apatite is very soft (5 on the Mohs hardness scale), and as a result it is somewhat fragile. It can scratch, so it should not be tossed into a jewelry box with other gemstones that may damage it, and it is also very heat sensitive, so ultrasonic and steam jewelry cleaners should be avoided, and chemicals used with great care.
Apatite as Jewelry: I haven't come across apatite for jewelry making that isn't blue or blue-green, which is fine by me because I love the look of this stone in blue. It has a depth that my photographs really fail to convey. I use primarily apatite cabochons, but occasionally work with faceted apatite, as well. This faceted apatite is often called "Paraiba Apatite" because of its similarity to paraiba tourmaline, and it is more affordable, although it is softer and not as sturdy as tourmaline. For this reason it's not practical to use in rings, but pendants and earrings usually do pretty well.
Legends and lore: The name for apatite comes from the Greek word to deceive because it is easily mistaken for other stones.
Metaphysical information: Apatite is a stone of personal power, and a powerful aid in communication and public speaking, being strongly associated with the throat chakra. It aids in focus and time management. It can be used as a dream stone for problem solving and visualization. It can be used to bring vague ideas into concrete reality. It helps distinguish the important from the unimportant. It is a stone of generation and rebirth.
Healing: Because of its phosphorus content it is an excellent stone for calcium absorption and bone and dental health. Some say it helps with hunger suppression (this seems fishy to me, based entirely on the name, but I thought I'd include it since I found the info in several sources).
Care: Apatite is very soft (5 on the Mohs hardness scale), and as a result it is somewhat fragile. It can scratch, so it should not be tossed into a jewelry box with other gemstones that may damage it, and it is also very heat sensitive, so ultrasonic and steam jewelry cleaners should be avoided, and chemicals used with great care.
Apatite as Jewelry: I haven't come across apatite for jewelry making that isn't blue or blue-green, which is fine by me because I love the look of this stone in blue. It has a depth that my photographs really fail to convey. I use primarily apatite cabochons, but occasionally work with faceted apatite, as well. This faceted apatite is often called "Paraiba Apatite" because of its similarity to paraiba tourmaline, and it is more affordable, although it is softer and not as sturdy as tourmaline. For this reason it's not practical to use in rings, but pendants and earrings usually do pretty well.