Chabazite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

What is Chabazite?

Chabazite refers to a series of related minerals. This series include calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and strontium (Sr) dominant members. The sodium-dominant member is also known as herschelite.

Does Chabazite Make a Good Jewelry Stone?

Chabazite can show pale but attractive colors. Unfortunately, it's too soft to wear (hardness 4-5) and rarely found in clean condition. Usually, faceters can cut only one corner of pinkish or colorless crystals, since they're never entirely transparent. You're more likely to find chabazites in mineral collections, if at all, than in jewelry collections. Even museum collections of rare gemstones seldom possess cut chabazites.

How Did Chabazite Get Its Name?

This rare, relatively little-known gem has a poetic but mangled etymology. As Senning and DaveWilton discuss, the name "chabazite" comes from a poem attributed to the poet Orpheus from Greek mythology. However, the actual source, the 4^th century CE Orphic Lithica of Pseudo-Orpheus, refers to chalazias, a stone said to be like hail. According to this mystical work, the stone purportedly cooled passions and cured fevers and snakebites. The "b" in the modern name came from a misspelling in a text of the poem used in the 18^th century. (2005) Evidently, its magical purview doesn't cover typos.

What was chalazias? Possible identities for this gem range from quartz to diamond. Chabazites have been found in Greece, Cyprus, and the Aegean region, too.

What is Chabazite's Optic Sign?

Chabazite's optic sign may vary. It may be uniaxial positive or negative.

Are There Synthetic Chabazites?

Labs have created synthetic minerals, like SSZ-13, isostructural with chabazite. (They share the same crystal structure but not the same chemical composition). These materials only have industrial uses.

Where are Chabazites Found?

• United States: California; Colorado; Hawaii; Nevada; New Jersey; Oregon.
• Canada: Bay of Fundy district, Nova Scotia.
• Australia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Hungary; India; Ireland; Italy; Russia; Scotland; Slovakia.

Chabazite Gemstone Sizes

Cut chabazites are always very small, usually less than 1-2 carats.

How to Care for Chabazites

Chabazites have significantly lower hardness than common jewelry stones, such as quartz and topaz, not to mention diamond. Therefore, store them separately from other gems to avoid contact scratches. For cleaning, use a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water. Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.

Work Cited

Senning and DaveWilton (2005). "Chabazite," Wordorigins Discussion Forum. (Accessed 2/13/24)