Calcite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

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CALCITE: Canada (600.91). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Calcite is common and abundant throughout the world. The material has little intrinsic value since it is not scarce. However, calcite is one of the most difficult of all minerals to be cut because of perfect cleavage in 3 directions. The cost of faceted stone is therefore mostly in the labor of cutting. Normally, a faceted stone breaks during cutting, and the finished gem is much smaller than the originally intended size. Therefore, a cut calcite over 50 carats is extremely rare. Faceted stones cut from material from many localities might turn up, but the lack of scarcity value is not encouraging to potential calcite cutters.

Calcite Value

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5 to 100 carats

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Calcite Information

Data	Value
Name	Calcite
Varieties	Calcite Satin Spar, Cobaltoan Calcite
Crystallography	Hexagonal (R) (trigonal). Crystals common in a huge array of forms; massive; stalactitic; chalky.
Refractive Index	1.486-1.740
Colors	Colorless (Iceland spar), white, gray, yellow, shades of pink, green, blue, purplish red (Co).
Luster	Vitreous to pearly
Hardness	3
Fracture	Conchoidal
Specific Gravity	2.71 (pure) to 2.94
Birefringence	0.172-0.190
Cleavage	Perfect rhombohedral (3 directions)
Dispersion	Strong
Stone Sizes	Rough material can be very large (hundreds of carats). Colorless material is usually step-cut or emerald-cut. Brown material from Baja is usually seen up to 50 carats, normal range 5-25 carats. Purplish red material from Paramca, Spain (cobaltian) is not transparent, usually cut 1-5 carat size. Limestone onyx is opaque and yields cabochons and carvings of any desired size.
Luminescence	Common and from many localities around the world. SW: red, orange, lemon yellow, shades of green, shades of blue, pink, white. LW: orange, dull pink, tan, yellow, blue gray.
Luminescence Present	Yes
Luminescence Type	Fluorescent, UV-Long, UV-Short
Transparency	Transparent to opaque.
Absorption Spectrum	Any lines seen are due to specific elements as impurities.
Formula	CaCO₃
Pleochroism	None.
Optics	e = 1.486-1.550; o = 1.658-1.740. Uniaxial (-).
Optic Sign	Uniaxial -

Dimorph of ARAGONITE. Also Cobaltocalcite = Sphaerocobaltite = CoCO₃; Limestone onyx= Travertine = Flowstone (found in caves); Iceland spar; Alabaster; Marble.

OPTICS: e = 1.486-1.550; o = 1.658-1.740

Uniaxial (-)

OCCURRENCE: Occurs in all types of rocks as the most abundant carbonate mineral on Earth. Found in veins, ore deposits, and as a constituent of rock limestone and marble. Crystals often large (many inches) and transparent. Limestone onyx is the material of most limestone caves, usually banded in shades of tan and brown. (Note: this is not the quartz-variety onyx). Iceland spar is colorless calcite, transparent, sometimes in large masses. The name alabaster refers to gypsum and is incorrect when applied to calcite. Gem material is commonly seen from the following localities: Missouri (colorless), Baja California (brown), Canada, New York, Montana, England, Mexico, Iceland (colorless), and the USSR (pale yellow).

CALCITE: Paramca, Spain (cobaltian, 3.40), Mexico (12.55). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C): 75.8 and 45.8 (golden-brown, Baja)

Devonian Group (Calgary, Alberta, Canada): 7.5 (Cobaltocalcite, Spain)

Private Collection: 4,440 (colorless); 1156 carats (colorless, twinned); 474 (yellowish, USSR)

National Museums of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario): 606 (light yellow cushion cut, with sulfide inclusions; Bancroft, Ontario, Canada); 168.2 (colorless, Portuguese cut)

Harvard University: 1260 (Bancroft, Ontario, Canada)

Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): 183 (colorless, Balmat, New York)

Gemological Institute of America: 48 (yellow, USSR)

COMMENTS: Calcite is common and abundant throughout the world. The material has little intrinsic value since it is not scarce. However, calcite is one of the most difficult of all minerals to be cut because of perfect cleavage in 3 directions. The cost of faceted stone is therefore mostly in the labor of cutting. Normally, a faceted stone breaks during cutting, and the finished gem is much smaller than the originally intended size. Therefore, a cut calcite over 50 carats is extremely rare. Faceted stones cut from material from many localities might turn up, but the lack of scarcity value is not encouraging to potential calcite cutters.

Limestone onyx is usually cut into slabs, made into vases, lamps, ashtrays, bookends, and many other decorative objects. It is usually banded in shades of brown, green, and buff. Marble is a metamorphic rock often used in construction and in making decorative carved objects. Coloration in the form of banding and streaks is due to impurities.

NAME: Calcite is derived from the Latin calx, meaning lime.

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by Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA

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