Canasite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

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CANASITE: Bur’atskaja, Urals, Siberia, USSR (~2 inches across). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

The material usually seen on the market as “canasite” is purplish in color. It is frequently confused with another purplish material, a member of the serpentine family known as stichtite. However, stichtite occurs in elongated fibers that have a kind of lustrous sheen, almost asbestiform, whereas canasite is granular. Recent research seems to indicate that, in fact, the material being called “canasite” has no canasite in it but is a new, distinct species.

Canasite Information

Data	Value
Name	Canasite
Colors	Greenish yellow.
Hardness	5 - 6
Fracture	Splintery
Cleavage	Perfect 1 direction, good 1 direction
Stone Sizes	Massive blocks up to several inches have been found. Material is cut as cabochons and decorative objects.
Formula	(Na,K)₅(Ca, Mn, Mg)₄(Si₂O₅)₅(OH, F)₃
Crystallography	Monoclinic. Occurs in tiny grains, usually twinned.
Refractive Index	1.534-1.543
Birefringence	0.009
Absorption Spectrum	Not diagnostic.
Optics	a = 1.534; β = 1.538; γ = 1.543. Biaxial (-), 2V, ~53°.
Optic Sign	Biaxial -
Luster	Vitreous.
Specific Gravity	2.707
Transparency	Transparent to translucent

OPTICS: a = 1.534; β = 1.538; γ = 1.543

Biaxial (-), 2V, ~53°

OCCURRENCE: Occurs in pegmatite in the Khibina Tundra, USSR

COMMENTS: The material usually seen on the market as “canasite” is purplish in color. It is frequently confused with another purplish material, a member of the serpentine family known as stichtite. However, stichtite occurs in elongated fibers that have a kind of lustrous sheen, almost asbestiform, whereas canasite is granular. Recent research seems to indicate that, in fact, the material being called “canasite” has no canasite in it but is a new, distinct species.

NAME: From the composition: Ca, Na, and Si.

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

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