Axinite is a natural brown to honey-yellow crystal that grows in sharp, flat wedges. We do not carry it. It is a collector's stone, and none of the crystal-lore guides we use has a profile of it.
Borosilicate
Axinite
Axinita
- Palette
- Brown
- Mined in
- Russia, Switzerland, South Africa, Mexico
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- 1909
- Named for
- Greek acine ax in allusion to the acute shape of typical crystals
- Also sold as
- axinite-(Fe), ferroaxinite, tinzenite
- Intention
- Strength
- Looking for
- Courage
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Axinite is sold as it comes out of the ground: no dyes, heating, or fillers are known for it.
Not in our pieces now
PIEZOELECTRIC
Axinite is both pyroelectric and piezoelectric, meaning it can build up an electric charge when heated or squeezed.
4 CM
Manganaxinite crystals from the West Bor pit at Dalnegorsk, Russia, reach about 4 centimeters.
RED GLOW
Manganaxinite is yellow-orange and glows red under ultraviolet light.
What it is
A brown to honey-yellow borosilicate that grows as sharp, flattened, wedge-shaped crystals, the shape its name refers to. It shows different shades of olive, red-brown and yellow as you turn it. It is a collector gem, cut now and then for stone lovers, and it is almost never seen as beads.
Where it comes from
Fine axinite is known from the West Bor pit at Dalnegorsk in Russia, the Swiss Alps, the Wessels mine in South Africa and Canta in Peru.
What's said about it
Its name is the Greek word for axe, after the shape of its crystals. Old gem lists matched it to a given name, but that was a name-day custom, not a belief about what it does.
Collectors keep it as crystals or cut stones. If you like its warm brown, bronzite, brown aventurine and golden tiger eye are the ones we carry.
How people wear or keep it: On a shelf or in a display case, in a pouch of its own, or as a pendant.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, axinite is paired with the root and third eye 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: on a shelf or in a display case, in a pouch of its own, as a pendant. People reach for it when they want courage, 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, Third Eye
ZodiacAries
ElementEarth
Also calledaxinite-(Fe), ferroaxinite, tinzenite
Care
- Hardness is about 6.5 to 7, so it takes daily wear, but it is brittle and has good cleavage, so a hard knock can chip it.
- Keep it in its own pouch or box so harder stones do not rub against it.
- Clean with a soft brush and mild soapy water, then dry. Skip steam and ultrasonic cleaners on any cut stone with fractures.
- Faceted stones belong in protected settings such as pendants and earrings more than in a ring worn every day.
How to tell what you have
- Axinite is clove-brown to plum or grey, glassy, and shows different colors when turned (brown, violet, green-grey).
- Andalusite looks similar; only a lab test of density and refractive index separates them reliably.
- It splits easily along one direction, so it chips if knocked.
Questions people ask at our table
What is axinite?
It is a calcium, iron and aluminum borosilicate that forms brown to yellow wedge-shaped crystals. It is real and natural, and a collector gem more than a bead stone.
Why is it called axinite?
The name is from the Greek word for axe. The crystals are flat, sharp-edged wedges that look like axe heads.
Does it change color?
Brown axinite shows olive green, red-brown or yellow-brown depending on the angle you view it from. That is a property of the crystal, not a dye or coating.
Is it used in bracelets?
Rarely. Good faceted stones are scarce and it is brittle with good cleavage, so most axinite is sold as crystals and cut stones. We do not carry it.
Which stones on our tables look similar?
Warm brown stones such as bronzite, brown aventurine and golden tiger eye are the closest in color. None of them has axinite's glassy, wedge-shaped crystals.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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