Scapolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This gem, which is not widely available and little recognized by the public, is none the less, a desirable and attractive gem material for jewelers as well as collectors. It is known mineralogically as Wernerite, after its discoverer. Similar to the gems in the garnet group, this gem ranges in color and precise gemological values along a "solution series" as the amount of sodium and calcium in the chemical formula changes.
Scapolite Value
The value of yellow scapolite, depends on size, clarity and strength of color. The usual premium on value would be expected in terms of saturation of color and custom versus native or commercial cutting. Values for natural purple or irradiated stones differ dramatically as the natural stones are both rarer and a delicate, but much purer, purple. They would range above and below the prices for yellows, respectively. The rare cat's eye varieties are highly varied and quite beautiful.
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Scapolite Information
| Data | Value |
| Name | Scapolite |
| Varieties | Marialite, Meionite, Petschite, Wernerite |
| Crystallography | Tetragonal: crystals prismatic, often large and coarse; massive. granular. cleavages. |
| Refractive Index | 1.536 - 1.579 |
| Colors | Colorless, white, bluish gray, pale greenish yellow, pink, violet, brown, orangy-brown, golden yellow, orangy-yellow. |
| Luster | Vitreous; resinous; pearly on cleavages. |
| Polish Luster | Vitreous, resinous |
| Fracture Luster | Vitreous, resinous, pearly |
| Fracture | Uneven to Conchoidal; brittle. |
| Hardness | 6 - 6.5 |
| Toughness | Good |
| Specific Gravity | 2.50 - 2.78. See table below. |
| Cleavage | Perfect/distinct in two directions. |
| Dispersion | 0.017 |
| Luminescence | Burma: 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. |
| Spectral | 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. |
| Wearability | Poor |
| Enhancements | Heat treatment, improves color, common, undetectable. Irradiation turns colorless and yellow to purple. Uncommon, undetectable, fades rapidly in light. |
| Special Care Instructions | Avoid rough handling |
| Transparency | Transparent to Opaque |
| Absorption Spectrum | Pink, lines at 663 and 652 nm |
| Phenomena | Chatoyance, very rare |
| Formula |
|
| Pleochroism |
|
Scapolite, also known as Wernerite, runs in a solid state series from Marialite to Meionite, with Mizzointe in the middle.
Comments by Donald Clark, CSM IMG
This gem, which is not widely available and little recognized by the public, is none the less, a desirable and attractive gem material for jewelers as well as collectors. It is known mineralogically as Wernerite, after its discoverer. Similar to the gems in the garnet group, this gem ranges in color and precise gemological values along a “solution series” as the amount of sodium and calcium in the chemical formula changes.
Colors range from near colorless to yellow and orange, through pinks to purple. Yellows are the most commonly found colors with purple a distant second. Irradiation of colorless or yellow specimens can create a brownish purple variety which is prone to fading and not very attractive.
The main sources are Brazil, Tanzania, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Cat’seye stones are rather rare and desirable as they have exceptionally sharp eyes. Its hardness of 6 and cleavability necessitate some care in setting and wearing in jewelry, with daily wear ring use unwise. The name comes from the Greek “scapos” or rod, and refers to the short rod-like crystal habit.
Comments by Dr. Joel Arem
Catseye scapolites from Burma are very rare, possess an unusually sharp eye, and occur in various colors. Cabochons from opaque Quebec and Ontario material are very lovely and often fluoresce brightly. The Tanzanian golden scapolite is much darker in tone than the Brazilian material, and is also much cleaner. Moreover, there is enough available to make jewelry promotion feasible. The pink-purple Tanzanian material is extremely rare in sizes over about 5 carats. Most gems of this color are in the 1-2 carat range. Faceted Burmese scapolites are also rarely found in the marketplace.
Table of Scapolite Group Properties
|
Table of Scapolite Group Properties |
|||||
| Locality |
Color |
o |
e |
Birefringence |
Specific Gravity |
| Marialite |
– |
1.564-1.550 |
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 |
| Burma |
colorless |
1.56 |
1.544 |
0.016 |
– |
| Burma |
pink |
1.558 |
1.545 |
0.013 |
– |
| Burma |
light yellow |
1.587 |
1.554 |
0.033 |
– |
| Burma |
pale pink |
1.549 |
1.54 |
0.009 |
2.63 |
| Burma (catseye) |
violet |
1.560 |
1.544 |
0.016 |
2.63 |
| Sri Lanka (catseye) |
gray |
1.583 |
1.553 |
0.030 |
– |
| Kenya (catseye) |
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 |
Occurrence
In contact zones; regionally metamorphosed rocks; altered basic igneous rocks.
- Madagascar: yellow, facetable crystals.
- Espirito Santa, Brazil: pale yellow crystals, sometimes large, facetable.
- Burma: white, yellow, pink to violet. all cuttable; also bluish, pinkish, white catseyes.
- Kenya: brownish catseyes.
- Dodoma, Tanzania: finest transparent golden yellow to orangy-yellow material, sometimes very pale to near colorless; also violetish and pink (rare) cuttable crystals.
- Quebec, Canada: lemon yellow, opaque scapolite, some with silky luster.
- Ontario, Canada: light yellow, pink and green material yielding tiny cut gems.
Stone Sizes
Burmese white and yellow gems have been found in large sizes. Pink Burmese step-cut gems to 70 carats have been reported. Catseyes are usually under 10 carats, but larger ones are known. Tanzania produces the finest golden yellow scapolite known in commercial quantities. Pink gems are extremely rare, violet stones very rare in sizes over 5 carats. Brazilian yellow scapolite is cuttable up to about 30 carats but is usually flawed (long thin tubes) at this size.
- ROM: 28.4, 57.6 (yellow, Brazil); 7.91 (pink, Burma); 65.63 (colorless, Burma); 18.8 (gray, catseye); and 18.3 (pink catseye).
- SI: 288 (colorless, Burma); 29.9, 19.7 (catseye, pink, Sri Lanka); 12.3 (pink, Burma); 103.4, 52.2 (yellow-orange, Tanzania).
- DG: 3.34 (blue catseye, Burma); 21.25 (white catseye, India).
- PC: 14.83 (violet, Tanzania — largest known of this color); 52.92 (green-brown catseye).
Name
Scapolite from the Greek skapos (shaft) because of the stumpy nature of its prismatic crystals. Marialite is named after Maria Rosa, wife of G. vom Rath. German mineralogist. Meionite is from Greek meion (less), because its pyramidal form is smaller than that of idocrase from Vesuvius, which it resembles. Mizzonite is also from the Greek meizon (greater) because the axial ratio is larger than that of meionite.
Misnomer
Pink moonstone, pink scapolite with sheen.
