Hureaulite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Hureaulite can show rich and lively pink, rose, and orange colors. However, this collector's gem is rarely cut.
Hureaulite Value
The International Gem Society (IGS) has a list of businesses offering gemstone appraisal services.
Information
| Data | Value |
| Name | Hureaulite |
| Crystallography | Monoclinic. Crystals prismatic up to 3 cm, tabular; massive; compact. |
| Colors | Pale rose, violet-rose, yellowish, red-orange, orange-red, brownish orange, yellowish to reddish brown, gray, colorless. |
| Luster | Vitreous to greasy. |
| Fracture | Uneven |
| Hardness | 3.5 |
| Specific Gravity | 3.19 |
| Birefringence | 0.012 |
| Cleavage | Good 1 direction |
| Luminescence | None |
| Spectral | Not diagnostic. |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent |
| Formula | Mn5(PO4)2[(PO3)(OH)]2 · 4H2O. |
| Pleochroism | Colorless/pale rose to yellow/reddish yellow-brown. |
| Optics | a = 1.637-1.652; β = 1.645-1.658; γ = 1.649-1.663. Biaxial ( - ), 2V= 75°. |
| Etymology | After the type locality, Les Hureaux, France. |
| Occurrence | In phosphate masses in granite pegmatites. |
Comments
With a hardness of 3.5, hureaulite is too soft for jewelry use. Massive material can yield cabochons, although these are seldom cut.
The hureaulite mineral group encompasses this manganese phosphate material as well as chongite, miguelromeroite, nyholmite, sainfeldite, and villyaellenite. Researchers have determined that a red mineral formerly known as palaite from Pala, California is only a variety of hureaulite.
Synthetics
Hydrothermal processes have produced crystals of synthetic material for chemical research purposes. However, no commercial jewelry use for these synthesized hureaulites is known.
Sources
Although gem-quality crystals are rare, many sites worldwide produce this mineral.
Notable gem-quality sources include:
- United States: Pala, California (orange masses); Branchville, Connecticut; North Groton, New Hampshire; South Dakota.
- Brazil; Haute Vienne, France; Germany; Poland; Portugal.
Stone Sizes
To date, no faceted gems are known. However, facetable material likely exists. One day, adventurous gem cutters will try their hands at it.
Care
You’re more likely to find hureaulites, if at all, in mineral collections than in jewelry collections. Jewelry use isn’t recommended.
Avoid exposing this very soluble material to any solutions containing acids.
Consult our Gemstone Jewelry Cleaning Guide for care recommendations.
