Scapolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

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Dark yellow scapolite, shield cut with concave facets, 16.15 cts, 20.7 x 16 mm, Tanzania. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.

Scapolite

Although not well known, scapolite would make an attractive gem material for both jewelry enthusiasts and mineral collectors. It comes in a wide variety of colors and can show dramatic fluorescence. Rare specimens also display phenomenal effects, like chatoyancy.

Scapolite Value

Yellow scapolite’s value depends on size, clarity, and strength of color. Expect the usual premiums on price in terms of color saturation and custom versus native or commercial cutting. Values for natural purple or violet scapolites differ greatly from irradiated stones, since the untreated stones are rarer and have a delicate, but much purer, purple.

Scapolite: Brazil (24.0) and Kenya (2.30). © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Prices for untreated purple stones would exceed yellow, while prices for irradiated purple stones fall below yellow.

Rare cat’s eye scapolites are highly varied and quite beautiful.

Cat’s eye scapolite: Myanmar (7.0). © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Cabochons cut from opaque Quebec and Ontario material are very lovely and often fluoresce brightly.

Tanzanian golden scapolite is much darker in tone than the Brazilian material, as well as much cleaner. Moreover, there is enough available to make jewelry promotion feasible.

Golden yellow scapolite, modified emerald brilliant cut, 49.2 cts, Tanzania. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

The International Gem Society (IGS) has a list of businesses offering gemstone appraisal services.

Scapolite Value via Gem Price Guide

Accompanying value information:

Not found

Gold	1 to 3 carats	3 carats plus
Faceted	to /ct	to /ct

Purple	.5 to 1 carat	1 carat plus
Faceted	to /ct	to /ct

Colorless	1 to 10 carats	10 carats plus
Faceted	to /ct	to /ct

Cat’s Eye	1 to 10 carats
	to /ct

Star	1 carat plus
	to /ct

Scapolite Information

Data	Value
Name	Scapolite
Varieties	Marialite, Meionite, Petschite, Wernerite
Crystallography	Tetragonal; crystals prismatic, often large and coarse; massive, granular, cleavages.
Refractive Index	Varies by composition and locality, 1.531-1.600. See “Identifying Characteristics” below.
Colors	Colorless, white, blueish gray, pale greenish yellow, pink, violet, brown, orangey brown, golden yellow, orangey yellow.
Luster	Vitreous; resinous; pearly on cleavages.
Polish Luster	Vitreous, resinous
Fracture Luster	Vitreous, resinous, pearly
Hardness	5.5-6
Wearability	Poor
Fracture	Uneven to Conchoidal
Specific Gravity	2.50-2.78, varies with composition. See “Identifying Characteristics” below.
Birefringence	Varies by composition and locality, 0.004-0.037. See “Identifying Characteristics” below.
Cleavage	Perfect/distinct in two directions
Dispersion	0.017
Luminescence	Myanmar: yellow to orange in LW (U spectrum), also pink in SW. Tanzania: strong yellow in both LW, SW; violet stones = pink in SW, inert in LW. Quebec: massive material fluoresces in LW (+ phosphorescence). Some yellow faceted gems fluoresce lilac in SW. Strong orange in X-rays.
Luminescence Present	Yes
Luminescence Type	Fluorescent, Phosphorescent, UV-Long, UV-Short, X-ray Colors
Enhancements	Heat treatment, improves color, common, undetectable. Irradiation turns colorless and yellow to purple. Uncommon, fades rapidly.
Typical Treatments	Heat Treatment, Irradiation
Special Care Instructions	Avoid rough handling
Transparency	Transparent to Opaque
Absorption Spectrum	Pink and violet stones show bands in the red at 6630 and 6520 due to Cr. Strong absorption in the yellow part of the spectrum.
Phenomena	Very rare: chatoyancy, iridescence, tenebrescence, aventurescence.
Formula	Marialite: 3Na(AlSi₃)O₈ · NaCl. Meionite: 3Ca(Al₂Si₂)O₈ · CaCO₃.
Pleochroism	Pink and violet stones: dark blue/lavender blue; colorless/violet. Colorless and pale yellow stones: colorless to pale yellow/yellow.
Optics	Uniaxial (-).
Optic Sign	Uniaxial -
Etymology	Scapolite comes from the Greek skapos for “shaft,” because of the stumpy nature of its prismatic crystals. Marialite was named after Maria Rosa, wife of German mineralogist G. vom Rath. Meionite comes from the Greek meion for “less,” because its pyramidal form is smaller than that of idocrase from Vesuvius, which it resembles. Mizzonite comes from the Greek meizon for “greater,” because the axial ratio is larger than that of meionite. Wernerite was named after the mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner.
Occurrence	In contact zones; regionally metamorphosed rocks; altered basic igneous rocks.
Inclusions	Hollow tubes, needles, platelets.

Scapolite: Tanzania (32.44, 32.00). © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Comments

The scapolite mineral group contains a solid state series from marialite to meionite, with mizzonite as the intermediate member. Gemologically speaking, the term scapolite refers to the gems that form in this series. Older sources may refer to this series as “wernerite.”

Fluorescent “wernerite,” Grenville, Quebec, Canada, from the collection of the Technische Universität Bergakademie, Freiberg, Germany. Photo by SpacePen. Licensed under CC By-SA 3.0.

The colors and properties of scapolites vary as the amount of sodium and calcium in their chemical composition changes. Colors range from near colorless through pinks and purples to yellow and orange. By far, yellows occur most commonly. Purples come a distant second. Scapolites may show strong fluorescence and pleochroic colors.

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This 14.41-ct, oval Portuguese-cut scapolite from Sri Lanka appears brownish yellow under white light and orangish under longwave ultraviolet light. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.

Some rare specimens have displayed a variety of phenomenal effects. These include chatoyancy (in many colors and with unusually sharp “eyes”) and tenebrescence.

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Under shortwave ultraviolet light, this tenebrescent colorless scapolite changes to a light blue. Over time, the blue fades back to colorless. Cushion cut, 1.55 cts, 7.6 × 7.4 ×5.0, Pakistan. © ARK Rare Gems. Used with permission.

In addition, so-called “rainbow scapolites” display iridescence. Recently, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) found that brownish orange platelets, possibly hematite inclusions, caused aventurescence in a scapolite specimen. (Be aware that pink scapolite with sheen is sometimes erroneously called pink moonstone).

“Rosalinda,” an ornamental laidary rock from Peru, consists of calcite, scapolite, and red epidote-piedmontite.

Identifying Characteristics

Distinguishing citrines, a yellow variety of quartz, from yellow scapolites may sometimes prove challenging (without a destructive scratch test). Consult this article on difficult separations for advice.

Scapolite: Kenya (73.31, crystal ca 3 inches long). © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Table of Marialite-Meionite Series Properties


Locality	Color	o	e	Birefringence	Specific Gravity
Marialite	–	1.546-1.550	1.540-1.541	0.004-0.008	2.50-2.62
Entire Rios, Mozambique	yellow	1.568	1.548	0.02	2.70
Umba River, Tanzania	yellow-gold	1.562-1.567	1.543-1.548	0.019	2.66-2.67
Umba River, Tanzania	violet	1.539-1.540	1.531-1.534	0.007	2.59
Umba River, Tanzania	yellow	1.553	1.539	0.014	2.63
Umba River, Tanzania	very pale yellow	1.579	1.553	0.026	2.74
Rio Pardo, Brazil	golden yellow	1.570-1.574	1.549-1.552	0.021	2.68-2.70
Myanmar	colorless	1.56	1.544	0.016	–
Myanmar	pink	1.558	1.545	0.013	–
Myanmar	light yellow	1.587	1.554	0.033	–
Myanmar	pale pink	1.549	1.54	0.009	2.63
Myanmar (cat’s eye)	violet	1.560	1.544	0.016	2.63
Sri Lanka (cat’s eye)	gray	1.583	1.553	0.030	–
Kenya (cat’s eye)	brown	1.57		–	2.73
Madagascar	colorless	1.568-1.571	1.550-1.552	0.018-0.020	–
Meionite	–	1.590-1.600	1.556-1.562	0.024-0.037	2.78

Graph of Scapolite Optical Properties Versus Chemical Composition

scapolite group - RI vs chemical composition

Refractive index (RI) and birefringence (δ) as related to chemical composition in the scapolite series. Chemistry expressed as (molecular) percent meionite, which reflects the ratio Ca/(Ca + Na) in the formula. Refractive index plotted as a mean index = (o + e)/2. Adapted from W. A. Deer, R. A. Howie, and J. Zussman, 1962, The Rock Forming Minerals, vol. 4 (New York: Wiley), p. 329.

Note: Dipyre is a Ca-rich marialite.

Synthetics

Scientists have synthesized scapolites, from marialites to meionites, for research purposes. However, there are no known jewelry uses for these lab-made materials.

Enhancements

Heating can improve color. This common enhancement is undetectable.

Yellow and colorless scapolites may receive radiation treatments. This uncommon enhancement creates a brownish purple color, which fades rapidly.

Sources

Tanzania produces the finest golden yellow scapolite known in commercial quantities. Dodoma yields transparent, golden yellow to orangey yellow gem material. This source sometimes produces very pale to near colorless stones, as well as violetish and pink (rare) cuttable crystals.

Espirito Santo, Brazil produces pale yellow crystals, sometimes large and facetable.

Madagascar produces yellow, facetable crystals.

Oval mixed-cut, greenish yellow scapolite with diopside inclusions, 1.91 cts, 8.8 x 7.3 mm, Amboasary, Madagascar. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.

Other notable gem-quality sources include the following:

Canada: Quebec (lemon yellow, opaque scapolite, some with silky luster); Ontario (light yellow, pink, and green material yielding tiny cut gems).
Kenya: brownish cat’s eyes.
Myanmar: white, yellow, pink to violet (all cuttable); also bluish, pinkish, white cat’s eyes.
Afghanistan; China; India; Pakistan; Peru; Sri Lanka; Tajikistan.

Scapolites, four crystals from Daftar, Tashiku’ergan Co., Kashi Prefecture, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Stone Sizes

The pink and purple Tanzanian material is extremely rare in sizes over 5 carats. You’ll find most gems of this color in the 1-2 carat range.

Brazilian yellow scapolite is cuttable up to about 30 carats. However, at that size, it’s usually flawed (long thin tubes).

Faceted Myanmar scapolites are rarely encountered on the market. However, white and yellow specimens from Myanmar have been found in large sizes. Pink Myanmar step-cut gems to 70 carats have been reported. Cat’s eyes usually run under 10 carats. However, larger ones are known.

Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): 28.4, 57.6 (yellow, Brazil); 7.91 (pink, Myanmar); 65.63 (colorless, Myanmar); 18.8 (gray, cat’s eye); and 18.3 (pink cat’s eye).
Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC): 288 (colorless, Myanmar); 29.9, 19.7 (cat’s eye, pink, Sri Lanka); 12.3 (pink, Myanmar); 103.4, 52.2 (yellow-orange, Tanzania).
Devonian Group (Calgary, Alberta, Canada): 3.34 (blue cat’s eye, Myanmar); 21.25 (white cat’s eye, India).
Private Collection: 14.83 (violet, Tanzania, largest known of this color); 52.92 (green-brown cat’s eye).

Care

With a hardness of 5.5 to 6 and perfect cleavage, scapolites require care when setting and wearing as jewelry. Although daily wear as a ring stone may be inadvisable, protective settings and occasional use will let you show off these rarely seen gems. Scapolites would make excellent choices for pendants and earrings.

Avoid cleaning scapolites with mechanical systems. Instead, use only a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water. Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.

“Primrose earrings,” golden citrine globes, pale yellow scapolite rondelles, and clear rock crystal rondelles. Photo and jewelry by Marianne Madden. Licensed under CC By-SA 2.0.