FLUORITE

Fluorite is a beautiful gemstone, but as it is softer than many gems, few jewellers attempt to set it into precious metals.Interestingly, the most famous location for this amazing gem, a gem that often is bi-coloured, is Castleton in Derbyshire. The miners used to call the crystals ‘ore flowers’ and gem collectors for many years have referred to Fluorite as ‘the most colourful mineral in the world’. 

Its name is derived from the Latin word “fluere”, which means “to flow” and refers to the gem’s low melting point. As mentioned under fluorescence, the household fluorescent tube owes the “fluorescent” part of its name to this gemstone.The reason for this is that many pieces of Fluorite fluoresce when placed under ultraviolet light. Although blue is the most common colour to fluoresce in Fluorite, it is also possible to see red, purple and green glowing within the gem.