Lepidolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

LEPIDOLITE Mica family.

Optics:a = 1.525-1.548; = 1.551-1.585; = 1.554-1.587.

Biaxial ( - ), 2V= 0-58°.

Occurrence: Almost exclusively in granite pegmatites; also in tin veins.

San Diego County California: Gunnison, Colorado; Black Hills. South Dakota; Wyoming; Arizona; New Mexico; New England, especially Maine.

Sweden; Germany: Finland; Czechoslovakia; USSR; Madagascar; Japan; Bikita, Zimbabwe. Brazil: fine pink and reddish crystals.

Comments: Reddish granular or massive lepidolite is usually slabbed for ornamental purposes, such as ashtrays paperweights, and bookends. Faceted micas are virtually nonexistent because of the perfection of the cleavage and the variable hardness within crystals.

Name: From the Greek lepis, (scale) because of the scaly nature of the massive material.

Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA

Dr. Joel E. Arem has more than 60 years of experience in the world of gems and minerals. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Mineralogy from Harvard University, he has published numerous books that are still among the most widely used references and guidebooks on crystals, gems and minerals in the world.

Co-founder and President of numerous organizations, Dr. Arem has enjoyed a lifelong career in mineralogy and gemology. He has been a Smithsonian scientist and Curator, a consultant to many well-known companies and institutions, and a prolific author and speaker. Although his main activities have been as a gem cutter and dealer, his focus has always been education. joelarem.com

View All Articles