Creedite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Probably fewer than a dozen creedite gems have ever been faceted. This rare mineral is rarer still as a cuttable crystal. Too soft to wear, this strictly collector's gem occurs in attractive white, purple, and orange colors.
Creedite Value
The International Gem Society (IGS) has a list of businesses offering gemstone appraisal services.
Creedite Information
| Data | Value |
| Name | Creedite |
| Crystallography | Monoclinic. Crystals short, prismatic; also radial clusters. |
| Refractive Index | 1.461-1.485 |
| Colors | Colorless, white, rose to lilac or purple, orange. |
| Luster | Vitreous. |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Hardness | 4 |
| Specific Gravity | 2.71-2.73 |
| Birefringence | 0.024 |
| Cleavage | Perfect 1 direction |
| Dispersion | Moderate |
| Luminescence | Medium white to cream color (SW); bright white to cream (LW). |
| Transparency | Transparent to opaque. |
| Absorption Spectrum | Not diagnostic. |
| Formula | Ca3AI2(SO4)(F,OH)10 • 2H2O. |
| Optics | a = 1.461; β = 1.478; γ = 1.485. Biaxial (-), 2V = 64°. |
| Etymology | After the type locality, Creede Quadrangle, Colorado. |
| Occurrence | Fluorite-rich hydrothermal mineral deposits. |
Comments
Transparent colorless and purple material from Chihuahua, Mexico has yielded rare facetable creedites. In recent decades, new sources have produced more material in more colors, such as orange.
Synthetics
No known synthetics or enhancements.
Sources
The classic source for gemmy material, Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico produces crystals up to 1 inch long.
Durango, Mexico has produced stunning, bright orange crystals.
Other notable sources include:
- United States: Darwin, California; Creede, Colorado (in cavities in rock with fluorite and barite); Wagon Wheel Gap, Colorado (in a fluorite-barite mine); Granite, Nevada.
- Colquiri, Bolivia; China (colorless); Kazakhstan (purple).
Stone Sizes
Any faceted gems are very small, usually less than 1-2 carats.
- Private Collection: 0.96 (purple, Chihuahua).
Care
You’re more likely to find creedite gems in a mineral collection, if at all, than a jewelry collection. With perfect cleavage and a low hardness of 4, creedites wouldn’t make durable jewelry stones. A sensitivity to acid makes it inadvisable to wear or handle these gems for long periods. See our gemstone jewelry care guide for cleaning recommendations.
