Description
Fluorite, Faceted, Natural, Heart Studded, One Metal Alloy Pendant, 35x25mm
Fluorite, also called fluorspar, is the mineral form of calcium fluoride. Often called "the most colorful mineral in the world," Fluorite exhibits almost every color of the rainbow, with specific hues typically originating from different trace elements or structural defects including Purple, Violet, Green, Blue & Yellow. Pink, Red & Black are the rarest colors, often formed by unique elemental inclusions or heavy radiation damage. Pure fluorite is completely clear.
The name fluorite comes from the Latin verb fluere, which means "to flow." Because it has a relatively low melting point, metalworkers historically used it as a "flux", a material added to smelting furnaces to help slag flow more easily and separate impurities from metals like iron and aluminum.
If you've ever seen a mineral glow eerie neon under a blacklight, you are witnessing fluorescence. The entire scientific term "fluorescence" was coined in 1852 by physicist George Gabriel Stokes, who named the phenomenon after fluorite because it exhibited such a spectacular glow under ultraviolet light.
In 1965, Illinois officially designated fluorite as its state mineral. During the 19th and 20th centuries, southern Illinois (specifically Hardin and Pope counties) was home to some of the largest and most productive fluorite mining districts in the United States. While Illinois' last major commercial fluorite mine closed in 1995 due to cheaper imports, the state is still legendary among mineralogists for producing some of the finest, most museum-worthy cubic specimens in history.
Hardness 4-4.5
This is a natural stone that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing
Metal Alloy is a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, base metals, to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion. In mining and economics, base metals refer to industrial non-ferrous metals excluding precious metals, like silver, gold, and platinum. Base Metals include copper, aluminum, nickel, tin, zinc antimony, bismuth, lead and many more. Metal Alloy, also known as Pewter and is usually a tin based alloy 85-95% of the time but could also be zinc based.
In December of 1994, The US Safe Drinking Water Act defined Lead-free as having less than 0.25% lead content. Most newly made solid pewter on the market today is considered lead free by these standards. But it is still recommended to not give children Metal Alloy jewelry if there is any chance, they will put it in their mouths!
