Fuchsite is green mica, glittering with tiny flakes. It is the green in ruby-in-fuchsite and the sparkle in some green aventurine.
Phyllosilicate (mica group) · Muscovite (chromium-rich)
Fuchsite
Fuchsita
- Palette
- Green
- Mined in
- Brazil, India, Russia
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0–2.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1850
- Named for
- Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs, a German chemist and mineralogist
- Also sold as
- chrome mica, chromium muscovite, verdite (rock made mostly of fuchsite)
- Intention
- Love Strength
- Looking for
- Love Relationships Confidence and self-worth Patience
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- No bead-trade disclosure was found for fuchsite, so what is done to the beads is not established.
Not in our pieces now
STEREOCHROMY
Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs, the chemist fuchsite honors, used waterglass to invent stereochromy, a fresco technique that fixes pigments in glassy silicate.
LIME-GREEN GLOW
Fuchsite fluoresces lime green under long-wave ultraviolet light.
2 TO 2.5
Fuchsite is a mica, so it is soft: 2 to 2.5 on the Mohs scale, easily scratched by a steel point.
What it is
A pale to emerald green mica that glitters with tiny flakes where light catches them. The green comes from chromium. It is the green in ruby-in-fuchsite, and it is the sparkle inside some green aventurine, which is quartz with fuchsite flakes in it.
What gives it its color
Fuchsite is a green mica (muscovite) in which a little chromium replaces aluminum; the more chromium, the deeper the green.
In history
Fuchsite is the chromium-rich green form of muscovite mica, named for Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs (1774-1856), a Munich chemist and mineralogist. Muscovite got its own name from 'Muscovy glass': medieval Russians set large mica sheets in windows instead of glass, and English letters mentioned the practice in 1568.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, fuchsite is a stone of the open heart. People keep it for self-worth and for patience when a relationship has become a tug of war.
It is often picked up by people whose work is looking after others.
People wear it as jewelry, carry it in a pocket or keep it in a quiet corner for meditation.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, near the heart, or in a meditation space.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, fuchsite is paired with the heart chakra, 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 the wrist, in a pocket, near the heart. People reach for it when they want love, relationships, 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.
ChakraHeart
Also calledchrome mica, chromium muscovite, verdite (rock made mostly of fuchsite)
Care
- Very soft (Mohs 2 to 2.5) and flaky: it scratches easily and can shed layers, so handle gently.
- Wipe with a soft dry cloth; avoid soaking and scrubbing.
- Keep away from harsh cleaners, ultrasonic cleaners and knocks.
- Store alone in a soft pouch; many beads are a mix of fuchsite and harder minerals, so hardness varies by piece.
How to tell what you have
- Fuchsite is chromium-rich mica, apple to emerald green, and very soft (Mohs 2 to 2.5).
- Green aventurine and dyed quartz are harder and are sold in similar colors, so a bead under this name may be one of those; fuchsite scratches easily and looks sparkly and flaky.
Questions people ask at our table
What is fuchsite?
A chromium-rich muscovite, a kind of mica. The chromium turns it green and the mica gives it its glitter.
How is fuchsite related to green aventurine?
Aventurine is quartz that holds tiny flakes of mica, and fuchsite is the classic flake that gives it a silvery green sheen. If there is a lot of fuchsite, the stone looks opaque, and can be mistaken for malachite.
What is ruby in fuchsite?
A rock of green fuchsite with pink to red corundum crystals, which are ruby, set in it. The two together give the green-and-pink look.
Is fuchsite natural, or dyed?
The green is natural, from chromium. Dyed green quartz or glass is sometimes sold under green stone names, so ask for the material to be named.
How do I look after it?
It is a very soft mica and scratches easily. Wipe it with a soft cloth, keep it dry and store it by itself.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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