Stilbite is a zeolite, a soft mineral that grows as peach, pink or white sheaf-like crystals with a pearly shine. It is a collector mineral, and we do not carry it.
Silicate (zeolite)
Stilbite
Estilbita
- Palette
- Orange Pink White
- Mined in
- India, Iceland, Canada, United Kingdom, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1801
- Named for
- Greek stilbein, to shine, for its pearly luster
- Also sold as
- desmine, sheaf zeolite
- Intention
- Love
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Stilbite is a natural mineral sold as specimens and is not usually dyed or heated. No finish is described for it.
Not in our pieces now
DESMINE
In 1818 the name desmine was proposed for stilbite, and German mineralogists still use it today.
NOVA SCOTIA
Stilbite is the official mineral of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
0.3 TO 0.8 NM
Zeolites such as stilbite are riddled with microscopic pores typically 0.3 to 0.8 nanometers across.
What it is
Thin crystals that stack into sheaf-like or bow-tie bundles, white to peach or salmon-pink, with a pearly shine on the faces. It is a collector mineral, often seen as small clusters on dark basalt.
Where it comes from
Most stilbite comes from the Deccan Traps of Maharashtra, India (Pune, Nasik, Mumbai), with Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy and New Jersey also named.
In history
When Swedish mineralogist Axel Cronstedt coined the word zeolite in 1756, after watching a mineral boil and steam in a flame, his sample was probably stilbite. The Deccan basalts near Mumbai and Pune in India are the world's richest source of stilbite today.
What's said about it
We have not found an older lore for stilbite. The name comes from a Greek word for shine, and the best-known sources are the basalt hills near Pune and Nashik in India.
It is soft and splits easily, so it is kept as a cluster on a shelf.
How people wear or keep it: On a shelf or desk, or in a padded box.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, stilbite is paired with the heart and 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: on a shelf or desk, in a padded box. 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, Third Eye, Crown
ZodiacAries
ElementAir
Also calleddesmine, sheaf zeolite
Care
- It is soft, about Mohs 3.5 to 4, and splits along one direction, so a knock can break the crystals.
- Dust with a soft brush and keep it off rough surfaces.
- Zeolites hold water in their structure, so avoid soaking, steam, ultrasonic cleaners and sudden heat.
- Store it in a padded box so the bundles do not rub against other stones.
How to tell what you have
- Stilbite forms bow-tie or sheaf-shaped bundles of thin crystals with a pearly shine on the faces, in white to peach or salmon. Heulandite looks very similar and often grows with it.
Questions people ask at our table
What is stilbite?
It is a zeolite, a family of soft minerals that form in cavities in volcanic rock. Stilbite grows as thin crystals stacked into sheaf or bow-tie shapes.
Is it used in jewelry?
Only rarely. It is soft and splits easily, so most pieces are kept as collector clusters rather than worn.
Where does it come from?
India's Deccan basalts near Pune and Nashik are among the richest sources. It also comes from Iceland, Nova Scotia, Scotland and the United States.
How do I tell it from heulandite or scolecite?
They are close zeolite relatives that grow in the same rocks and can look alike. A mineral dealer or a gem lab can tell them apart by crystal habit and tests.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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