Calcite comes in many colors, and crystal lore reads each one differently. This is the general mineral; its blue form has its own page.
Carbonate
Calcite
Calcita
- Palette
- White Clear Yellow Orange Pink Green Blue Brown
- Mined in
- Mexico, Iceland, United States, Brazil, Canada, Belgium, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Peru, Russia
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1845
- Named for
- Latin calx, 'lime'
- Also sold as
- calc spar, Iceland spar (clear variety), optical calcite, mangano calcite (pink), honey calcite (golden)
- Intention
- Calm Abundance
- Looking for
- Calm Prosperity Confidence and self-worth Creativity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Calcite beads are sometimes dyed to change the color or waxed or coated for shine, so ask whether a strand is natural color.
Not in our pieces now
250 TONS
The largest documented single calcite crystal came from Iceland and weighed about 250 tons.
OVER 1,000 FORMS
Calcite crystals show combinations of more than 1,000 distinct crystal forms.
WILLIAM NICOL
William Nicol (1770-1851) cut Iceland spar into the first polarizing prism, which still carries his name.
What it is
A soft, waxy to glassy mineral that is white or colorless when pure and takes on yellow, orange, pink, green, blue, brown and gray from traces of other elements. Raw pieces look chalky or like frosted glass; tumbled and polished pieces gain a soft shine. It is the mineral in limestone and marble, and the same material is often carved as alabaster.
What gives it its color
Pure calcite is white or colorless; the other colors come from small amounts of impurities such as iron or manganese (manganese gives pink).
Where it comes from
Calcite is found worldwide; well-known sources include Chihuahua in Mexico, the Helgustadir mine in Iceland (Iceland spar), and Ontario in Canada.
In history
Ancient Egyptians carved calcite into perfume jars, and calcite or alabaster jars lay in Tutankhamun's tomb (he died about 1323 BC). A clear form, Iceland spar, may have helped Viking navigators find the sun on cloudy days, and a piece of it recovered from a 1592 shipwreck off Alderney suggests the method outlasted the magnetic compass. In 1669 Danish scientist Bartholin described how a clear piece doubles whatever is seen through it.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, blue and aqua calcite are kept for calm and clear speech, green for prosperity and gardens, and golden or yellow for confidence and everyday protection. Orange is linked with creativity, and pink with love.
Roman writers carved a banded calcite we now call alabaster into jars they trusted to keep ointments fresh.
It is soft, so people tend to carry it in a pouch or pocket and keep it away from water.
How people wear or keep it: In a pocket, in a pouch, in a meditation space, or in the garden.
In crystal practice
Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in a pocket, in a pouch, in a meditation space. People reach for it when they want calm, prosperity, confidence and self-worth, 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.
ZodiacCancer
Also calledcalc spar, Iceland spar (clear variety), optical calcite
Care
- Soft (Mohs 3): it scratches on a pocket key or against harder stones, so store it alone in a soft pouch.
- Reacts to acid: vinegar, lemon juice and acidic cleaners can etch or dull the surface.
- Keep out of water, soaking and salt; if it gets wet, dry it at once. Wipe with a soft dry cloth.
- Remove before swimming, washing dishes or using hand sanitizer.
- Avoid ultrasonic cleaners and sudden temperature changes.
How to tell what you have
- Calcite is soft (Mohs 3), so a copper coin or knife tip scratches it, and it bubbles in weak acid.
- Natural calcite ranges from colorless and white to many colors. Dyed stone often shows color pooled at the drill hole or in cracks; a bead sold as marble may be a related form of the same mineral.
Rules and sourcing
Calcite beads are sometimes dyed to change the color or waxed or coated for shine. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose dye, wax or coating.
Questions people ask at our table
What is calcite?
Calcium carbonate, one of the most common minerals on earth and the main part of limestone and marble. It comes in many colors, and each color is sold under its own name, such as blue calcite or honey calcite.
How soft is calcite?
It is a 3 on the Mohs scale, the reference point for that number, so a key or knife can scratch it. It suits earrings, pendants and careful wear more than rough daily use.
Can calcite get wet?
Brief contact is fine if you dry it at once, but it reacts to acid and slowly dissolves in water that is even slightly acidic. Keep it away from vinegar, lemon, soaking and hand sanitizer.
Is calcite natural, or dyed?
It is a natural mineral that occurs in many colors on its own. A very bright or even color can be natural or dyed, so ask the seller what was done.
How can I tell it from similar stones?
Calcite fizzes with a drop of acid and scratches easily. Quartz is much harder and does not react.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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