Ulexite is a natural white borate, very soft and water-soluble, known as TV rock for the way it carries an image through a polished slab. Cat-eye beads imitate it with man-made glass. We do not carry ulexite.
Borate
Ulexite
Ulexita
- Palette
- White Clear
- Mined in
- United States, Chile, Kazakhstan
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1840
- Named for
- Georg Ludwig Ulex, a German chemist
- Also sold as
- TV rock, TV stone
- Intention
- Protection Calm
- Looking for
- Clearing negativity Focus and clarity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Ulexite is sold natural. We found no record of dye, but it is soft and water-sensitive.
Not in our pieces now
1811 TO 1883
The German chemist Georg Ludwig Ulex, for whom ulexite is named, lived from 1811 to 1883.
NEARLY HALF
The Borax mine in Boron, California, where most ulexite is mined, supplies nearly half the world's refined borates.
2.5
Ulexite rates only 2.5 on the Mohs scale, and its natural fibers carry light along their length like optical fibers.
What it is
Ulexite is a soft, white natural borate made of fine parallel fibers. A flat polished slab carries an image from one face to the other, which is why it is called TV rock. Our carried cat-eye is a different material: man-made fiber-optic glass that imitates this effect.
What gives it its color
Ulexite is naturally white to light gray; its see-through glow comes from parallel fibers that carry light along their length like fiber optics.
Where it comes from
The best-known source is the borax deposit at Boron, California, with more in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, Chile's Atacama region, Kazakhstan and Bigadic, Turkey.
In history
Ulexite was recognized as a valid mineral in 1840, after the chemist Georg Ludwig Ulex gave the first chemical analysis. In 1956 John Marmon noticed that its fibers carry an image from one polished face to the other, which earned slabs the nickname TV rock, and in 1963 researchers explained the effect as natural fiber optics.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, people keep it for seeing things clearly. It is thought of as a stone for looking past appearances.
One modern practice holds a piece over written names to judge who is being straight with you. It is a game of belief, not a test.
People keep it on a shelf or desk rather than wearing it, since it scratches easily and dislikes water.
How people wear or keep it: On a desk, on a shelf, or in a display case.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, ulexite 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, on a shelf, in a display case. People reach for it when they want clearing negativity, 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
ZodiacGemini
ElementAir
Also calledTV rock, TV stone
Care
- Very soft; it scratches and chips easily, so it suits display more than daily wear.
- Keep it away from water, which slowly dissolves it; wipe only with a dry soft cloth.
- Store it on its own, wrapped or boxed, away from harder stones.
- Handle with clean dry hands, as skin oils and fingerprints dull the polished faces.
How to tell what you have
- Ulexite is a very soft (2.5) fibrous borate that carries an image through flat polished faces, the TV-rock effect, and it dissolves slowly in water.
- Look out for clear glass or plastic sold as TV rock: real ulexite is white and fibrous and shows only a faint blurred image. Keep it dry.
What sets the price
Price follows how fine the fibers are and how flat and well polished the faces are, because only pieces polished straight across the fibers pass an image through (the "TV stone" effect). Size matters too; the stone is very soft, so it is mostly a curio.
Questions people ask at our table
What is ulexite?
It is a natural borate mineral, white and made of fine fibers. It forms in dry lake beds and is mined mainly in California.
Why is it called TV rock?
The fibers carry light along their length, so a slab cut across them shows an image from one face on the other. It is a natural optical effect.
Is it the same as cat-eye beads?
No. Cat-eye beads are man-made fiber-optic glass. Ulexite is a natural mineral and far softer.
Can it get wet?
No. It is slightly soluble in water, so keep it dry and wipe it with a soft dry cloth.
Do you carry it?
We do not carry ulexite. We do carry howlite, a white stone that is harder and holds up to wear, and cat-eye.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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