Lapidarium
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Lepidolite

Lilac lithium mica, the mineral that literally contains a mood stabiliser.

Family
Mica
Formula
K(Li,Al)₃(Al,Si)₄O₁₀(F,OH)₂
Mohs
2.5 to 3.5
System
Monoclinic

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Science

Lepidolite is a lithium-rich mica, forming soft, pearly, lilac sheets and scaly masses in pegmatites alongside tourmaline. It is an ore of lithium and was the mineral in which rubidium and caesium were discovered in 1861 by Bunsen and Kirchhoff using the spectroscope.

Mineral
Mica
Formula
K(Li,Al)₃(Al,Si)₄O₁₀(F,OH)₂
Crystal system
Monoclinic
Mohs hardness
2.5 to 3.5
Specific gravity
2.80 to 2.90
Refractive index
1.525 to 1.587
Lustre
Pearly
Colours
Lilac, Pink, Purple-grey

Composition

K(Li,Al)₃(Al,Si)₄O₁₀(F,OH)₂. Made of Potassium, Lithium, Aluminium, Silicon, Oxygen, Fluorine, Hydrogen, with trace Rubidium, Caesium, Manganese responsible for colour.

in formula trace, gives colour

Origin

  • Brazil
  • United States
    California, Maine
  • Zimbabwe
    Bikita
  • Madagascar
  • Czech Republic
    Rožná
  • Afghanistan
  • Namibia

Filled dots are primary sources

Rarity

Common
2 of 5

Common in lithium pegmatites; sold cheaply as tumbled stones and 'lepidolite in quartz'.

  1. 1 Abundant
  2. 2 Common
  3. 3 Uncommon
  4. 4 Rare
  5. 5 Exceptional

Hardness

Lepidolite sits at 2.5 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale. A steel knife will scratch it; it suits pendants and display more than rings.

Fingernail
Copper coin
Knife, glass
Steel file
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Energy

Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.

Chakras

  • Heart
  • Third Eye
  • Crown

Element

  • Water

Zodiac

  • Libra
  • Pisces

Planets

  • Neptune
  • Jupiter

Properties

  • Calm
  • Anxiety relief
  • Transition
  • Emotional balance

Lore

Its modern practice reputation is the most chemically literal of any stone: lithium carbonate is the classic drug for bipolar disorder, and lepidolite is sold as the stone of calm. The stone does not release lithium, but the association is irresistible.

It was first called lilalite in the 1790s, then renamed from the Greek lepidos, scale, for its flaky habit.

  • Discoveries
    Rubidium was first found in lepidolite in 1861.
  • Soft
    Flakes with a fingernail; keep polished pieces dry.