In crystal lore today, cavansite is the stone people keep by the bed. Before sleep they name an intention for their dreams, and in the morning they write down what they remember.
Silicate (hydrous calcium vanadium phyllosilicate)
Cavansite
Cavansita
- Palette
- Blue Green
- Mined in
- India, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.0–4.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- 1967
- Named for
- its elements: calcium, vanadium and silicate
- Intention
- Calm
- Looking for
- Rest and meditation Focus and clarity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- No seller or lab page we read says cavansite is dyed, heated, or filled; it is sold as natural crystal clusters, but the status is not confirmed per lot.
Not in our pieces now
66 MILLION YEARS
The Deccan Traps basalt around Pune, home of the best cavansite, began erupting about 66 million years ago.
500,000 KM²
The Deccan lava flows still cover about 500,000 square kilometers of India, and may once have spread over three times as much.
VANADIUM
Cavansite's sky-blue color comes from the metal vanadium, the same element in its name.
What it is
Vivid sky-blue to greenish-blue balls of radiating crystals, usually perched on pale rock alongside apophyllite and other zeolites. The blue comes from vanadium. It is a sought-after collector mineral and is not made into beads.
What gives it its color
The blue comes from vanadium, which is part of the mineral itself.
Where it comes from
Most cavansite comes from the Deccan Traps basalts around Pune (Wagholi) in Maharashtra, India. It also occurs in Malheur County, Oregon.
In history
Cavansite is a modern find: it was discovered in 1967 in Malheur County, Oregon, and its name is built from its ingredients, calcium, vanadium and silicate. Its twin mineral pentagonite was first described in 1973 from the same Oregon state park, and the best-known blue crystal clusters now come from quarries near Pune, India.
What's said about it
It is a rare collector mineral, best known from India, where bright blue balls of crystals grow on pale rock beside apophyllite. It was only identified in 1967, so its lore is all modern.
It is soft and delicate and is not made into beads. People keep a specimen on a nightstand or shelf, out of reach of knocks.
How people wear or keep it: On a bedside table, on a shelf in a case, or next to a dream journal.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, cavansite is paired with the throat and third eye 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: on a bedside table, on a shelf in a case, next to a dream journal. People reach for it when they want rest and meditation, 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.
ChakraThroat, Third Eye, Crown
ZodiacAquarius
ElementAir
Care
- It is soft, about Mohs 3 to 4, so it scratches and chips easily. Keep it away from harder stones.
- The crystal balls are delicate. Handle by the rock base and do not press on the crystals.
- Dust with a soft brush. Skip water, ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
- Display it in a box or case, out of reach of knocks and strong sun.
How to tell what you have
- Cavansite forms sprays of vivid sky-blue needles, often sitting on a pale zeolite rock; the blue comes from vanadium.
- It is soft (hardness 3 to 4) and brittle, so it is usually sold on its host rock or as a protected cabochon.
- Blue stones that are glossy, solid, and evenly colored with no needle pattern are probably something else.
Questions people ask at our table
What is cavansite?
It is a rare calcium vanadium silicate that grows as bright blue balls of fine crystals. Vanadium gives it the blue.
Where does it come from?
It was first found in Oregon in 1967, but nearly all of it today comes from the Pune area of India, where it grows with apophyllite in volcanic rock.
Is it used in jewelry?
Not usually. The crystals are soft and delicate, so cavansite is sold as collector specimens on their rock. Blue beads sold under the name are likely something else.
Can I get it wet?
No. Keep it dry and dust it with a soft brush, because the crystals are fragile and the stone is soft.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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