Hiddenite is the green variety of spodumene, colored by chromium, and it is the same mineral as pink kunzite. Some green spodumene from other places is argued over as to whether the name applies.
Silicate (pyroxene group, spodumene) · Spodumene
Hiddenite
Hiddenita
- Palette
- Green
- Mined in
- United States, Brazil, China, Madagascar
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- 1800
- Named for
- William Earl Hidden, the geologist who sent the samples
- Also sold as
- green spodumene, lithia emerald
- Intention
- Calm
- Looking for
- Focus and clarity
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Hiddenite is the green form of spodumene and is mostly sold natural. Green color can also be produced by irradiating pink kunzite, and that color can fade in sunlight.
Not in our pieces now
14.3 M
Crystals of spodumene, the mineral hiddenite belongs to, have been reported up to 14.3 meters long in South Dakota's Black Hills.
CHROMIUM
Like emerald, true hiddenite gets its green from chromium; greens caused by other elements are not hiddenite.
WHITE PLAINS
Before it took the gem's name, the Alexander County community of Hiddenite, North Carolina was called White Plains.
What it is
Hiddenite is the pale-to-emerald green variety of spodumene, colored by chromium, with a glassy shine and a color that shifts with the angle you view it. It is the green sibling of pink kunzite, which is the same mineral.
What gives it its color
The green of hiddenite comes mainly from a trace of chromium, the same coloring element as in emerald, with iron or vanadium adding yellow-green in some stones; it can fade in strong sunlight.
Where it comes from
Hiddenite was first found in Alexander County, North Carolina, and today's stones also come from Minas Gerais in Brazil and Nuristan and Kunar in Afghanistan, with smaller amounts from Pakistan and Madagascar.
In history
Hiddenite turned up around 1879 in Alexander County, North Carolina, where geologist William Earl Hidden, hired by Thomas Edison to look for platinum, followed up a green mineral local collectors had found. Chemist J. Lawrence Smith named it for Hidden, the settlement took the name Hiddenite, and in the 1880s and 1890s dealers marketed it as 'lithia emerald.'
What's said about it
In crystal lore, hiddenite is a stone for clear seeing. It's said to help people notice what is hidden or left unsaid, and to keep their mind on the page when they study.
The stone is named for William Earl Hidden, after it turned up in North Carolina around 1879.
People keep a piece on a desk while they study, or hold it over the brow in a quiet moment.
How people wear or keep it: On a desk or table while studying, over the brow during quiet time, on the wrist, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, hiddenite is paired with the third eye 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 a desk or table while studying, over the brow during quiet time, on the wrist. People reach for it when they want 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.
ChakraThird Eye
ZodiacAquarius, Cancer, Capricorn, Virgo
ElementWater
Also calledgreen spodumene, lithia emerald
Care
- Hard enough for jewelry but it splits easily along its cleavage planes, so avoid knocks and drops.
- Strong sunlight can slowly fade the color, so do not leave it on a sunny windowsill.
- Wipe with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, then dry.
- Store apart from harder stones so it does not get scratched or chipped.
How to tell what you have
- Hiddenite shows its green in one direction and looks paler or colorless from another, and it breaks easily along flat planes. A bead sold as hiddenite may also be pale green spodumene without true chromium color, or glass, so ask the seller.
What sets the price
Price follows depth of natural emerald-green color, how clean the stone is, and size; true hiddenite is colored by chromium and is rare, while paler green spodumene colored another way is worth less.
Rules and sourcing
Green color can be produced by irradiating pink kunzite and sold as hiddenite, and that color can fade in sunlight. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose irradiation.
Questions people ask at our table
What is hiddenite?
Hiddenite is the green variety of spodumene, colored by chromium. Pink kunzite is the same mineral, colored by manganese.
Is hiddenite the same as green kunzite?
No. Kunzite is the pink to lilac variety. Hiddenite is the chromium-green one, first found in North Carolina. Some green spodumene from other places is argued over as to whether it counts.
Does hiddenite fade?
It can. Strong sunlight may slowly fade the color, so store it out of direct sun.
Where does hiddenite come from?
North Carolina is the original source. Brazil, China and Madagascar also produce it.
Do you carry hiddenite?
We do not carry it. Our green stones include green aventurine and green jade.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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