Vesuvianite, also called idocrase, is a natural stone named after Mount Vesuvius. It is usually green, brown or yellow, and sometimes purple or blue.
Silicate (sorosilicate)
Vesuvianite
Vesubianita
- Palette
- Green Brown Yellow Blue Purple
- Mined in
- Italy, United States, Russia
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.0–7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1795
- Named for
- Mount Vesuvius, where fine crystals occur
- Also sold as
- idocrase, vesuvian, californite (the jade-like green variety), cyprine (the blue variety)
- Intention
- Calm Love
- Looking for
- Joy Calm Hope
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Vesuvianite is usually sold natural. Beads are green and can be sold as 'californite' or jade-like material.
Not in our pieces now
100,000 ×
The AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius gave off about 100,000 times the heat of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.
CYPRINE
Cyprine is a blue vesuvianite from Franklin, New Jersey, colored by copper.
17-23 MARCH 1944
Mount Vesuvius last erupted on 17 to 23 March 1944, and about 3 million people live close enough to be affected.
What it is
A natural stone that is usually green, brown or yellow, and more rarely blue or purple. The green californite variety is dense and jade-like and is often sold as California jade or American jade, though it is not jade. As beads it looks solid and smooth, from olive to bright green.
What gives it its color
Vesuvianite comes in many colors: a trace of copper gives the blue kind, manganese gives dark red to purple, and chromium gives deep green.
Where it comes from
Vesuvianite is named for Mount Vesuvius in Italy, and the jade-like californite comes from Pulga in California, with other sources in Quebec, Pakistan and Switzerland.
In history
Vesuvianite was first found as brown crystals in limestone blocks thrown out by Mount Vesuvius, and Abraham Werner named it in 1795; Rene Just Haüy gave it the name idocrase the next year. A jade-like massive green variety from California, called californite, is cut into cabochons and carved as an ornamental stone.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, it is the stone people pick up when they want a lift. Some hold it and recall happy memories as a weekly habit.
The green variety looks like jade and is sold as California jade, though it is a different mineral. Early twentieth-century jewelers used it as the letter I in lettered rings that spelled words like faith and friendship.
People wear it on the wrist, hold it in the hand, or keep it in a pocket.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in the hand, in a pocket, or on a desk.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, vesuvianite 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 the hand, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want joy, calm, hope, 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
ZodiacCapricorn, Sagittarius
ElementEarth
Also calledidocrase, vesuvian, californite (the jade-like green variety)
Care
- Reasonably hard, but not as hard as quartz, so keep it away from sand and grit.
- Wipe with a soft cloth and lukewarm water with a little mild soap, then dry.
- Nearly unaffected by acids, but harsh cleaners and ultrasonic cleaners are still best avoided.
- Store apart from harder stones so it does not get scratched.
- If it is sold as jade, ask which stone it is; californite is often called California jade.
How to tell what you have
- Vesuvianite is a green to brownish calcium silicate (hardness 6 to 7) sometimes sold as 'californite', 'California jade' or idocrase.
- It can be taken for jade, serpentine or grossular garnet; ask the seller and check for dye at the drill hole.
Questions people ask at our table
What is vesuvianite?
A natural calcium-aluminum silicate named after Mount Vesuvius. It is also called idocrase and usually forms in limestone altered by heat and pressure.
Is vesuvianite the same as jade?
No. The green variety called californite looks like jade and is sold as California jade, but it is a different mineral. Real jade is jadeite or nephrite.
What color is it?
Most often green, brown or yellow. Blue and purple stones exist but are rarer.
Where does it come from?
Famous sources include Mount Vesuvius and the Ala Valley in Italy, with other stones from the United States and Siberia.
How do I look after it?
Wipe it with a soft cloth and keep it from grit and harder stones. It is fairly hard but can scratch.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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