Soft and brittle, rare augelites are difficult to cut and unsuitable for wear. Faceted transparent pieces are only found in very complete gem and mineral collections.
Although new gem-quality finds of this phosphate mineral have appeared, augelites remain quite rare. Furthermore, facetable crystals are typically very small and very rarely transparent. With a hardness of 4.5-5, a brittle tenacity, and two planes of perfect and good cleavage, this gem poses some challenges to gem cutters and jewelry enthusiasts alike. Although it can occur in lovely pale greens, yellows, blues, and pinks, as well as colorless, and has a striking vitreous, glass-like luster, augelite has no dispersion or “fire” to catch the eye.
Long the only source for facetable augelites, crystals from the Champion Mine in Mono County, California could reach about one inch in size. This source is now depleted. New facetable material has come from Peru.
Yukon Territory, Canada and Bolivia produce fine-quality crystal specimens.
Other notable sources include the following:
United States: Palermo Mine, New Hampshire; Keystone, South Dakota (massive, non-gem).
Most existing faceted gems from the California material weigh less than one carat. Some weigh up to three carats. This rare mineral very rarely yields larger stones.
Care
Clean augelites only with a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water. Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.
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