Sarcolite is an extremely rare mineral. Tiny, colorless to “fleshy pink” gems have been cut only from material from one locality: Mount Vesuvius.
1 Minute Read
You'll likely find sarcolites only in very complete mineral collections, if at all. Although this stone has a mid-range Mohs hardness of 6 and no cleavage, it also has "very brittle" tenacity. This means sarcolite has greater susceptibility to damage from blows than most other gemstones, common or rare. If worn as jewelry, make sure these stones have protective settings and reserve them for occasional wear.
Researchers have synthesized sarcolites with the same chemical formula and tetragonal crystal structure as their natural counterparts. However, this lab-created material has different optical properties: o = 1.631; e = 1.615; uniaxial (-). There is no known jewelry use for this synthetic material.
There are no known gemstone treatments for sarcolites.
Sarcolite's type locality is the volcanic rock of Mt. Vesuvius(Monte Somma) in the region of Campania in southern Italy. Other Italian sources include Rome and the province of Trentino in northern Italy.
Connecticut and Nevada in the United States also produce sarcolite.
All faceted stones weigh 1-2 carats or less.
Use a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water for cleaning sarcolites. Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.
When you join the IGS community, you get trusted diamond & gemstone information when you need it.
You'll likely find sarcolites only in very complete mineral collections, if at all. Although this stone has a mid-range Mohs hardness of 6 and no cleavage, it also has "very brittle" tenacity. This means sarcolite has greater susceptibility to damage from blows than most other gemstones, common or rare. If worn as jewelry, make sure these stones have and reserve them for occasional wear.
Researchers have synthesized sarcolites with the same chemical formula and tetragonal crystal structure as their natural counterparts. However, this lab-created material has different optical properties: o = 1.631; e = 1.615; uniaxial (-). There is no known jewelry use for this synthetic material.
There are no known gemstone treatments for sarcolites.
Sarcolite's type locality is the volcanic rock of Mt. Vesuvius(Monte Somma) in the region of Campania in southern Italy. Other Italian sources include Rome and the province of Trentino in northern Italy.
Connecticut and Nevada in the United States also produce sarcolite.
All faceted stones weigh 1-2 carats or less.
Use a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water for cleaning sarcolites. Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.
Sarcolite is an extremely rare mineral. Tiny, colorless to “fleshy pink” gems have been cut only from material from one locality: Mount Vesuvius.
