In crystal lore today, aragonite is a stone people reach for when they want to feel grounded. It is thought of as a quiet stone for acceptance and for keeping your mind on one thing.
Carbonate
Aragonite
Aragonita
- Palette
- White Brown Yellow Green
- Mined in
- Spain, Slovakia, United Kingdom, United States, Mexico
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1754
- Named for
- Molina de Aragon, Spain, its type locality
- Also sold as
- Mexican onyx (aragonite banded stalagmite), cave aragonite, sputnik aragonite (spiky clusters)
- Intention
- Calm
- Looking for
- Grounding Calm Focus and clarity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Aragonite beads are usually natural and not altered. Some pink or brightly colored pieces may be sold under the name, so ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
3,000 BARS
Below about 3,000 bars of pressure aragonite is unstable at any temperature, yet it forms at the surface and slowly reverts to calcite over tens of millions of years.
70-75 MILLION YEARS
Ammolite, the rainbow gem layer of fossil ammonite shells from Alberta, is aragonite and dates to the late Cretaceous, about 70 to 75 million years ago.
0.1-0.3 MM
After polishing, the iridescent ammolite layer on a finished stone is only 0.1 to 0.3 millimeters thick.
What it is
Aragonite is a form of calcium carbonate, the same chemistry as calcite and limestone but with a different crystal structure. It is usually white, cream, brown or yellow, sometimes green, and is often seen as banded stalagmite slices or clusters of spiky crystals; as a bead it is a soft, pale, waxy-looking stone.
What gives it its color
Aragonite is naturally white to colorless, and brown tints come from sand trapped in the crystals.
Where it comes from
Aragonite is named for Molina de Aragón in Spain and is also found in Morocco, Italy, Austria, England, the Czech Republic, China and the western United States.
In history
In 1754 the Spanish writer Jose Torrubia described hexagonal crystals, called torrecillas, on a hill near Molina de Aragon, Spain. In 1797 Abraham Werner named the mineral for that place, wrongly thinking the town lay in the region of Aragon. Branching, coral-like growths of it were called flos-ferri, 'flowers of iron', after the Carinthian iron mines.
What's said about it
Its roots are older. Ancient Mexican makers carved beads and figures from a banded aragonite known as Mexican onyx, and an Armenian museum piece shows it used as a votive pendant.
People hold it while sitting quietly, carry it in a pocket or keep it on a desk. It is soft, so it is kept dry and handled gently.
How people wear or keep it: In a pocket, in the hand, on a desk, or in a meditation space.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, aragonite is paired with the root and solar plexus and crown chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in a pocket, in the hand, on a desk. People reach for it when they want grounding, calm, focus and clarity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Solar Plexus, Crown
ZodiacCapricorn
ElementEarth
Also calledMexican onyx (aragonite banded stalagmite), cave aragonite, sputnik aragonite (spiky clusters)
Care
- Soft: it scratches easily, so store it apart from harder stones and jewelry.
- Keep it dry. It dissolves slowly in acids and salt water, so no soaking, sweat-soaked wear, swimming or perfume.
- Wipe with a dry or barely damp soft cloth and dry at once.
- Keep away from heat and strong sun, which can dull the surface.
How to tell what you have
- Aragonite is soft (about 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale) and dissolves in acid, so keep it away from vinegar and cleaners.
- It is easily confused with calcite, and its sweet pink look-alikes are rose quartz, rhodonite, and pink opal; a scratch test or weight check against those harder stones helps.
Questions people ask at our table
What is aragonite?
It is calcium carbonate, the same chemistry as calcite and limestone, but with a different crystal structure. It forms in caves, around hot springs and in shells and coral.
Is aragonite the same as Mexican onyx?
Often, yes. The banded stone sold as Mexican onyx is usually aragonite from cave deposits, though some is calcite. It is not related to true onyx, which is a quartz.
Where does aragonite come from?
The type locality is Molina de Aragon in Spain, which gave the mineral its name. Caves and mines in Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Mexico and the United States also produce it.
Can I wear aragonite in water?
It is better not to. At 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale it is soft, and it slowly dissolves in acids and salt water. Take it off for washing and swimming.
Why do some aragonite beads look dull?
Because it is soft, the polish wears down with handling and moisture. A dry soft cloth brings back some shine.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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