Gemstone Glossary

While it sounds like it's hungry, it's actually trying to fool you! The name Apatite comes from a Greek word meaning "to deceive", as Apatite has oft been confused with more valuable gems such as Paraiba Tourmaline, Peridot & Beryl. Ironically Apatite is the mineral that makes up the teeth & bones of all vertebrate animals so the hunger connection is quite appropriate after all.

The mineral Apatite is quite common but gem quality specimens are rare. This combined with its softness (5 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness) has prevented Apatite becoming particularly popular even though its existence has been known since ancient times.

Apatite is a clear to opaque stone that comes in many colors, including green, yellow, blue, violet, and yellow-green (called asparagus stone). Cat's Eye Apatite stones are also known. Apatite is found in: Brazil, Russia, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Canada, East Africa, Sweden, Spain and Mexico.


As it is quite a soft stone and tends to exhibit a pale translucency, Apatite is best utilized in earrings and pendants where it will catch the light and really shine.

Apatite is actually three different minerals depending on the predominance of either fluorine, chlorine or the hydroxyl group: Calcium (Fluoro, Chloro, Hydroxyl) Phosphate. These ions can freely substitute in the crystal lattice and all three are usually present in every specimen although some specimens have been close to 100% in one or the other.

The more intense the color, the higher the cost of the Apatite. The best stones will be almost a neon greenish blue with a clean clarity. Stones over 1 carat in size are rare and will command higher prices.