Covellite is a natural copper sulfide: indigo blue with a flashing purple and brass sheen. It is very soft, so it is a collector's mineral and rarely beaded.
Sulfide
Covellite
Covelita
- Palette
- Blue Purple Multicolor
- Mined in
- United States, Italy, Argentina, China, Australia
- Hardness
- Mohs 1.5–2.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1832
- Named for
- Nicola Covelli, an Italian chemist who studied Vesuvius
- Also sold as
- Covelline
- Intention
- Calm New Beginnings
- Looking for
- Focus and clarity Rest and meditation Change and decisions
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- No bead-trade disclosure was found, so what is done to the stone is not established.
Not in our pieces now
1.6 KELVIN
Covellite turns superconducting when cooled to about 1.6 kelvin, a temperature just above absolute zero.
1,150 METERS
Covellite in the veins of Silver Bow County, Montana, formed about 1,150 meters underground.
9.6 MILLION TONS
The Butte, Montana mining district produced more than 9.6 million metric tons of copper between 1880 and 2005.
What it is
A copper sulfide that is indigo blue and often strongly iridescent, flashing purple, brass and deep red as it moves. It is a collector's mineral, very soft and usually sold as small crystals or chunks, and only rarely cut into beads.
Where it comes from
Covellite is a copper mineral known from Butte-area Silver Bow County in Montana, Summitville in Colorado, Sardinia in Italy, the Bor district in Serbia and Mount Vesuvius.
In history
Covellite was first recorded on Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, and is named for Nicola Covelli (1790-1829), a chemist who studied Vesuvius's lava and fumaroles. It has never been an important copper ore, so it is known mostly to collectors.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, covellite is a stone for guidance. People sit with it by candlelight, soften their gaze on its shimmer and look for images and symbols.
It is named for an Italian mineralogist who found it in the lava of Mount Vesuvius.
People hold it in the hands or set it on a desk or shelf, rather than wear it.
How people wear or keep it: Held in the hands, on a desk, or on a shelf by a candle.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, covellite is paired with the 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: held in the hands, on a desk, on a shelf by a candle. People reach for it when they want focus and clarity, rest and meditation, change and decisions, 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.
ChakraThird Eye, Crown
ZodiacSagittarius
Also calledCovelline
Care
- Extremely soft: a fingernail can mark it, so it does not suit a daily-wear bracelet.
- Keep it dry. Water, sweat and cleaners can dull the shimmer.
- Store it alone in a padded box, away from harder stones.
- Handle it by the edges and dust it with a soft dry brush only.
How to tell what you have
- Covellite is a very soft (Mohs 1.5 to 2) indigo-blue copper sulfide, often iridescent, with a lead-gray streak.
- Because it is so soft and flexible, a bead sold under this name may be a coated or dyed look-alike; check weight and surface wear.
Questions people ask at our table
What is covellite?
A natural copper sulfide, CuS, at Mohs hardness 1.5 to 2. It is indigo blue and often iridescent.
Why isn't it sold as beads?
It is one of the softest minerals collectors handle, so it scratches and crumbles easily. It is mostly sold as specimens, and 'covellite' jewelry is often something else.
Where does it come from?
It was first described from Vesuvius lava in Italy. Montana is a well-known source in the United States, and it is also found in Argentina, China and Australia.
What is the rainbow sheen on it?
Covellite is naturally iridescent, so its surface flashes blue, purple and brass. Other iridescent stones, such as dyed or coated quartz, are made that way and are not covellite.
What blue stones do you carry instead?
Blue apatite and sodalite are deep blue stones we carry, and pyrite gives a metallic shine. All three are harder and better for bracelets.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
Stay in the loop
Sign up to hear about new product drops, upcoming events, and the latest from Peritik. No spam, just the good stuff.