Celestite, Meaning, Properties, and Facts

What is celestite

Celestite is the common name for celestine, the main ore of strontium: SrSO₄, a close cousin of barite with strontium in place of barium. The name comes from the Latin caelestis, heavenly, for its sky blue. It grows as flat, glassy blades and tablets, often lining geodes, and strontium refined from celestite is what colors red fireworks and flares.

Celestite properties

Celestite properties explain most of its care rules: it is soft, splits easily along its cleavage and is heavy for its size, nearly four times the weight of the same volume of water (the Ohio Department of Natural Resources celestine page has a good overview):

Where celestite is found

Celestite is found mostly in sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolomite and gypsum beds, and in the sulfur deposits that form with them. Madagascar supplies most of the blue geodes and clusters on the market; the old sulfur mines of Sicily gave classic crystals beside bright yellow sulfur; and Mexico, Poland and Ontario add more. Ohio holds the largest known geode on Earth, Crystal Cave at Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, lined with celestite crystals.

Celestite crystal colors

Celestite crystal colors run from colorless and white to the pale sky blue it is famous for, with rarer yellow, orange and reddish brown pieces. The blue can fade over months in bright light. The crystals are blades, tablets or wedge-tipped prisms, not the six-sided columns of quartz.

How to tell if celestite is real

How to tell if celestite is real is mostly about ruling out look-alikes. Blue calcite is lighter in the hand, breaks into rhombs and fizzes in a drop of dilute acid, while celestite feels heavy for its size and does not fizz. Angelite is blue anhydrite, usually sold tumbled and opaque. Dyed blue quartz or agate geodes show six-sided quartz points and dye pooled in cracks, while real celestite crystals are flat blades or tablets with a soft, glassy shine.

Celestite care: water and sun

Celestite care comes down to water, light and handling. A quick rinse will not dissolve it, but do not soak it: water is slow to drain out of a geode, the soft crystals can loosen from their base, and a long soak never helps (more in water safe crystals). Long direct sun fades the blue, so keep it out of sunny windows and see crystals that fade in the sun. Pick it up by the base, not the crystals, and dust it with a soft brush.

Celestite meaning

Celestite meaning, in crystal lore, is calm, sleep and contact with angels, an idea borrowed from its heavenly name. That is belief, not chemistry, and any claimed celestite benefits sit in the same box. Crystal sellers group it with other sky-colored stones such as larimar and kyanite for the same reasons. The strontium inside is ordinary, stable strontium, not the radioactive strontium-90 made by nuclear fission.

Celestite for sale

Celestite for sale in the current drop is one piece: a celestite cluster, one of one and photographed in daylight, with its locality printed on the label at drop.

Celestite FAQ

Is celestite water safe?

Celestite is water safe only for a quick rinse. It should never soak, because it is soft, cleaves easily and can loosen from its geode.

Does celestite fade in the sun?

Celestite does fade in the sun: months of direct light can bleach its pale blue, so display it away from bright windows.

What color is celestite?

Celestite color is usually pale sky blue, but it also comes colorless, white, yellow, orange and reddish brown.

Is celestine the same as celestite?

Celestine is the same mineral as celestite: celestine is the official scientific name, and celestite is the name most used in the US.

Is celestite rare?

Celestite is not rare as a mineral, since it is mined for strontium, but large clusters of sharp, deep blue crystals are uncommon.

Sources

• Celestine (mineral), Wikipedia
• Celestine (celestite), Ohio Department of Natural Resources