Scapolite has got its name from the Greek word “skapos”, which means shaft or stick stone, because of its crystal habit, as it is found in stubby to long prismatic crystals, which looks like a stick. Its other name is wernerite, after the German explorer A. G. Werner. Scapolite occurs in colors, which are pink, blue, purple, gray, yellow and colorless. These colors determine the variation in its composition from sodium rich to calcium rich. Less transparent material can often be cut as cabochons that will often exhibit a good cat's eye effect or if the "cat's eye" is not distinct enough, it will show a play of light similar to Moonstone.
Locations:
Scapolite is found in Burma, Brazil, Canada, Madagascar and Kenya.
Chemical Composition: Complicated Sodium Calcium Aluminum Silicate
Crystal Structure: Tetragonal
Hardness: 6
Specific Gravity: 2.70
Refractive Index: 1.54-1.58
Colors: Yellow, pink, purple, blue, gray and colorless.
Luster: Vitreous |