Once a European symbol of royalty, purple has long been regarded as the color that symbolizes power, passion, psychic ability, success, wisdom, and leadership. It is suggested that wearing jewelry with purple gemstones strengthens a person’s generosity, inspires creativity, and fortifies inner strength. Purple is also known to enhance artistic talent. It’s no wonder we are irresistibly drawn to gemstones like amethyst, jasper, spinel, rubellite tourmaline, purple garnet, chalcedony, charoite, purple topaz, sugalite, purple agate, purple tanzanite, opalite, and lepidolite among others. Familiar with most of the purple gemstones, I’ve just recently discovered and purchased some lepidolite to use in my jewelry designs.
Rare and highly prized, this deep purple to pale pink colored gemstone is a more affordable alternative to the pricey sugilite. Despite its being a relatively soft stone, with a hardness of 2.5 in one direction and 4 in the other on the MOHS Hardness Scale, it is wonderful in jewelry if harsh wear is avoided. Earrings and necklaces are therefore great choices when buying lepidolite jewelry, or a bracelet that will be worn with care.
Lepidolite jewelry is mentioned frequently as a relaxer and thought to be a bringer of peace and a de-stressor. Natural healers use lepidolite to reduce wrinkles, release tension, and help people through difficult life transitions. Astrologically, lepidolite is associated with the sign of Libra.
Notable Occurrences
A mineral of the mica group, lepidolite is rich with lithium and used as a secondary source of lithium. In North America notable occurrences of lepidolite are in Maine, California, Connecticut, New Mexico, and Tanco Pegmatite, Bernic Lake, Manitoba in Canada. There is a very rare lemon-yellow variety found only in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Other important localities for lepidolite are Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ural Mountains in Russia, Brazil, and Western Australia.
Physical Properties
Color: violet lombo pale pink to white, sometimes gray or yellow.
Luster: vitreous to pearly
Transparency: transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: monoclinic; 2/m.
Crystal Habits: include tabular to prismatic crystals with a prominent pinacoid termination. Lepidolite forms pseudo-hexagonal "books." Also as micaceous or granular masses.
Cleavage: perfect in one direction perpendicular to the c-axis.
Fracture: uneven
Hardness: 2.5
Specific Gravity: 2.8+
Streak:white
Density:2.8-2.9 Average size 2.84
Associated Minerals: quartz, feldspar, spodumene, amblygonite, tourmaline.
