Magnesite is a soft, porous white carbonate that takes dye very easily. Dyed blue or green magnesite has been sold as a stand-in for turquoise for close to a century, as dyed howlite is today, so the color on those beads is dye.
Carbonate
Magnesite
Magnesita
- Palette
- White Gray Brown Yellow
- Mined in
- Austria, Italy, Poland, United States, Switzerland, China, Oman, India, Brazil, Canada
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–5.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1807
- Named for
- its chemical composition
- Also sold as
- white magnesite, dyed magnesite, white turquoise (misnomer)
- Intention
- Calm Love
- Looking for
- Calm Peace Rest and meditation Self-love
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Colored magnesite beads are dyed and often stabilized; only the white to cream beads are the stone's natural color.
Not in our pieces now
1939 FOUNTAIN
Isamu Noguchi built a fountain of automobile parts for Ford's exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair, which introduced him to magnesite.
1,500-2,000 °C
Fired at 1,500 to 2,000 °C, magnesite becomes dead-burnt magnesia, a heat-resistant lining for furnaces and kilns.
What it is
Natural magnesite is a soft, chalky white to cream or gray carbonate, sometimes with web-like veining. It takes dye so readily that blue or green beads sold as turquoise are often dyed magnesite or dyed howlite, and the color is dye, not the stone.
What gives it its color
Pure magnesite is white to cream; it is porous and takes dye easily, so the blue, turquoise and other colored beads are dyed.
Where it comes from
Gem crystals of magnesite come mainly from Brumado in Bahia, Brazil; other deposits include Styria in Austria, Tuscany in Italy, Spain, Hunan in China and Washington State.
In history
Sculptor Isamu Noguchi used magnesite as a sculpting material, and the plain white mineral is dyed light blue to pass for turquoise, as most magnesite beads are.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, white magnesite is a stone of quiet. It's said to help people settle into meditation and keep a peaceful mood, and it's linked with self-love.
The Pomo of California made magnesite into beads and used them as money.
People wear it on the wrist or keep it where they meditate. Dyed pieces should stay dry.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a meditation space, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, magnesite 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 meditation space, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want calm, peace, rest and meditation, 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
ZodiacAries, Libra
Also calledwhite magnesite, dyed magnesite, white turquoise (misnomer)
Care
- Soft and porous: scratches easily, so keep it apart from other jewelry.
- Wipe with a soft dry or barely damp cloth; do not soak it, since dye can run.
- Avoid acetone, harsh cleaners, ultrasonic and steam cleaning, which can strip dye or dull the surface.
- Dilute acids such as vinegar and lemon juice can etch it, so keep it away from them.
How to tell what you have
- Natural magnesite is chalky white to cream with a hardness of 3.5 to 5. Blue or green beads sold as turquoise are usually dyed magnesite or dyed howlite; magnesite and turquoise are different minerals.
- Look for dye collecting in the drill hole and cracks; dye can rub off on a damp cotton swab, and a drop of acid makes real magnesite fizz only when warm or powdered.
Rules and sourcing
Colored magnesite beads are dyed and often stabilized; only white to cream is the natural color. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose dye and stabilizing.
Questions people ask at our table
What is magnesite?
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, a soft, porous mineral that is naturally white, cream or gray. It forms where magnesium-rich rock is altered.
Is blue magnesite real turquoise?
No. Turquoise is a different mineral. Blue or green magnesite is white stone that has been dyed, and dyed magnesite has been sold as a turquoise stand-in for close to a century.
How do I tell magnesite from howlite?
They look alike and are both often dyed. A drop of acid fizzles slowly on magnesite and does nothing on howlite, so ask for a lab or jeweler's check rather than going by eye.
Does the color fade?
Dyed magnesite can lose or leach color with acetone, harsh cleaners or long soaking. Keep it dry and out of strong sun.
Do you carry magnesite?
We do not carry it. We do carry howlite, turquoise, African turquoise and yellow turquoise.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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