Selenite is the soft, pearly-white crystal form of gypsum. At 2 on the Mohs scale it scratches with a fingernail and dissolves slowly in water, so it is kept dry and handled gently.
Sulfate · Gypsum
Selenite
Selenita
- Palette
- White Clear
- Mined in
- France, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Mexico, Poland, Russia, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Greek selenites lithos, moon stone
- Also sold as
- satin spar (fibrous form), desert rose (rosette form), Marienglas, moon stone (old name)
- Intention
- Protection Calm
- Looking for
- Protection Clearing negativity Rest and meditation
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Selenite is usually sold natural. Some pieces may be coated to keep them from cloudy surface wear, so ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
MOHS 2
Selenite sits at 2 on the Mohs scale, soft enough to scratch with a fingernail.
HOURGLASS
Sand trapped as selenite grows can leave hourglass-shaped patterns in the crystal, as in selenite from the Great Salt Plains lake bed in Oklahoma.
2017 BACTERIA
In 2017 researchers announced bacteria pulled from inclusions inside Naica's giant selenite crystals, unlike anything in known genetic databases.
What it is
Selenite is the clear to milky-white, soft crystal form of gypsum. As beads or carvings it looks pearly or faintly striped, and a polished piece feels waxy and light.
What gives it its color
Selenite is the clear, colorless form of gypsum, and any tint it shows comes from impurities in the crystal.
Where it comes from
Fine selenite crystals come from Santa Eulalia in Chihuahua, Mexico, and from Ohio, Utah and New York in the United States; the giant gypsum crystals of Naica Cave are also in Chihuahua.
In history
In medieval Germany clear selenite was cut into thin panes for windows and for covering pictures of the Madonna, which earned it the name Marienglas, 'Mary's glass'; selenite panes also glazed windows at Santa Sabina in Rome. In 2000 miners at the Naica Mine in Mexico broke into the Cave of the Crystals, where selenite crystals reach about 11.4 meters long.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, selenite is the stone people keep to clear a room and to feel protected. It's said to set a quiet tone for meditation.
The name comes from the Greek word for the moon. Older gem lore gave it to the Moon, and in medieval Germany thin sheets of it served as window glass.
People keep it in a meditation space, on an altar, in a pocket, or on a shelf as a tower or wand.
How people wear or keep it: In a meditation space, on a shelf or altar, in a pocket, or held in the hand.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, selenite is paired with the crown 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: in a meditation space, on a shelf or altar, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want protection, clearing negativity, 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.
ChakraCrown
ZodiacCancer, Gemini
ElementAir
Also calledsatin spar (fibrous form), desert rose (rosette form), Marienglas
Care
- Very soft: a fingernail scratches it, so it chips and scuffs easily. Wear it where it will not knock against things.
- Keep it away from water. Gypsum slowly dissolves, and a wet bead turns dull and rough.
- Do not soak it, spray it or use cleaners. Wipe only with a dry, soft cloth.
- Store it by itself in a cloth pouch so harder stones do not scratch it.
How to tell what you have
- Selenite is a clear or white gypsum, so soft (2) that a fingernail scratches it.
- Calcite is harder (3) and fizzes in acid; alabaster and satin spar are look-alikes. Water can damage selenite, and dyed pieces show color in cracks.
Questions people ask at our table
What is selenite?
Selenite is the transparent to milky form of gypsum, a soft calcium sulfate mineral. Despite the name it has nothing to do with selenium; the name comes from the Greek word for the moon.
Can selenite get wet?
No. Gypsum dissolves slowly in water, so selenite goes dull and rough if it is soaked or worn in the shower. Wipe it dry and keep it out of damp places.
How is it different from clear quartz or howlite?
Selenite is far softer, at 2 on the Mohs scale, with a pearly, finely striped look. Clear quartz is glassy and hard, and howlite is chalky white with gray veins.
Why don't you carry selenite?
It is too soft and too water-sensitive for bracelets worn all day. Howlite, clear quartz and moonstone give a similar pale look in harder stones.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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