Apatite

A calcium phosphate group of minerals — the same family that makes up your teeth and bones.

Apatite specimen — Photo: Thomas Spann, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify apatite

Six-sided prisms, often with flat ends.
Hardness 5 — a knife just scratches it.
Glassy, often yellow-green or neon blue.
No obvious cleavage.

Often confused with

Beryl
Beryl looks similar but is much harder (7.5–8).
Compare side by side
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is harder and has a triangular, not hexagonal, cross-section.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Durango, Mexico
Madagascar
Ontario, Canada
Morocco

Uses

Phosphate fertilizer.

Rock tumbling

Can be tumbled with care. Soft for a gem; polish gently.

Did you know?

Its name comes from Greek apatao, 'to deceive', because it was so often mistaken for other gems.

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