Creedite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

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Creedite: Chihuahua, Mexico (0.96). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Probably fewer than a dozen creedite gems have ever been faceted. This rare mineral is rarer still as a cuttable crystal.

Creedite Information

Data	Value
Name	Creedite
Formula	Ca₃AI₂(SO₄)(F,OH)₁₀ • 2H₂O
Etymology	After the type locality, Creede Quadrangle, Colorado.
Occurrence	Fluorite-rich hydrothermal mineral deposits.
Colors	Colorless, white, rose to lilac or purple, orange.
Fracture	Conchoidal
Hardness	4
Cleavage	Perfect 1 direction
Wearability	Display only
Crystallography	Monoclinic. Crystals short, prismatic; also radial clusters.
Refractive Index	1.461-1.485
Birefringence	0.024
Dispersion	Moderate
Luminescence	Medium white to cream color (SW); bright white to cream (LW).
Luminescence Present	Yes
Luminescence Type	Fluorescent, UV-Long, UV-Short
Absorption Spectrum	Not diagnostic
Optics	a = 1.461; β = 1.478; γ = 1.485. Biaxial (-), 2V = 64°.
Optic Sign	Biaxial -
Luster	Vitreous
Specific Gravity	2.71-2.73
Transparency	Transparent to opaque

Amethystine colored creedites, West Camp, Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico, 4.3 x 3.2 x 2.7 cm. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

What Colors are Creedite Gemstones?

Transparent colorless, white, rose, 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.

Orange creedites, Abasolo Mine, Navidad, Durango, Mexico, 5.1 x 4.4 x 4.0 cm. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Do Creedites Make Good Jewelry Stones?

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. Creedites are strictly collector’s gemstones for display only.

Are There Synthetic Creedites?

There are no known synthetic creedites or enhancements for these gems.

Where is Creedite Found?

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).