Blue Apatite
fluorapatite / chlorapatite / hydroxylapatite
The mineral your teeth and bones are made of, and the Mohs scale's definition of hardness 5. Its name comes from the Greek for 'to deceive', because it has been mistaken for so many other minerals across its history. People carry it for communication, clarity and intuition. Tradition attaches it to the element air, the throat, third-eye chakra, Mercury.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
Some blue and neon material is heat-treated or irradiated to intensify colour. Fracture-filling with resin is used on heavily included stones.
This one does not go in water. It dissolves.
Mineral facts
Hardness
5 Mohs
Formula
Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)
Family
phosphate
Where it comes from
Madagascar, Brazil, Mexico (Durango), Myanmar, Canada (Ontario, Quebec), Russia (Kola)
What it is
The mineral your teeth and bones are made of, and the Mohs scale's definition of hardness 5. Its name comes from the Greek for 'to deceive', because it has been mistaken for so many other minerals across its history. The neon blue-green Malagasy material is the version the crystal trade cares about.
What it is confused with
aquamarine, blue-tourmaline, blue-topaz, fluorite, blue-glass, kyanite
Vivid teal to neon blue-green with a glassy luster, occurring as short hexagonal prisms with flat or low-pyramid terminations. Colour is intense and slightly cloudy, often with visible internal fracturing and a granular or streaky distribution. The defining property is hardness: apatite IS the Mohs 5 reference mineral, so it scratches easily with a steel knife but not with a copper coin, a very narrow and identifiable window. Tumbled pieces show scratched, scuffed surfaces surprisingly quickly.
Commonly faked · check before you buy
How to tell
Hardness 5 exactly: a steel knife scratches it, a copper coin does not, and it will not scratch glass. Aquamarine (7.5, 8) and topaz (8) both scratch glass easily. Fluorite (4) is scratched by a copper coin.
Some blue and neon material is heat-treated or irradiated to intensify colour. Fracture-filling with resin is used on heavily included stones.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Blue Apatite is a phosphate, 5 on the Mohs scale, and it is the stone traditionally carried when the problem is proximity rather than intensity.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Blue Apatite for every sign
Aries
Its name comes from the Greek for deceive.
It is the Mohs scale's definition of hardness 5, which means a steel knife marks it and household dust will scratch it in a bowl with other stones. Its name comes from the Greek for deceive. It has been mistaken for so many other minerals that the mistake became the name.
Taurus
Household dust scratches it.
It is the mineral your teeth and bones are made of, and it is the Mohs scale's own definition of hardness 5. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it has been mistaken for so many other things. Household dust scratches it in a bowl with other stones.
Gemini
Named from the Greek for deceive, and fairly so.
The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it kept getting mistaken for other minerals. It is also the mineral your teeth and bones are made of, and the reference point for hardness 5 on the Mohs scale, so a steel knife marks it and a copper coin does not.
Cancer
The mineral your teeth and bones are made from.
It is the mineral your teeth and bones are made from, which is an odd thing to carry in a pocket. It is also exactly hardness 5 on the Mohs scale, so a steel knife marks it and a copper coin does not. Household dust scratches it, so keep it off open shelves.
Leo
Your teeth are made of it. So is Mohs 5.
Your teeth and bones are made of this, and it is also the reference mineral for hardness 5 on the Mohs scale. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it has been mistaken for so many other minerals. Household dust will scratch it. Keep it away from quartz.
Virgo
Its name is Greek for to deceive.
Hardness 5, exactly, because apatite is the reference mineral that defines the number. A steel knife scratches it and a copper coin does not, and that narrow window is the whole test. Its name is Greek for to deceive, given because it kept being mistaken for other minerals.
Libra
It defines the middle of the scale, not a position on it.
Apatite is the Mohs 5 reference mineral, so it defines the middle of the hardness scale rather than occupying a position on it. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it kept being mistaken for other minerals. It is also the mineral your teeth are built from.
Scorpio
The name comes from the Greek for deceive.
The mineral your teeth and bones are built from, and the reference point for hardness 5 on the Mohs scale. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it has been mistaken for so many other minerals. Household dust scratches it, which is why tumbled pieces scuff within weeks.
Sagittarius
The name comes from the Greek for deceive.
The Mohs scale defines hardness five by this mineral, and it is what your teeth and bones are made of. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it has been mistaken for so many other things across its history. The neon Malagasy material is the version the trade cares about.
Capricorn
The mineral your bones are built from, defining hardness 5.
This is the mineral your bones and teeth are built from, and it is the Mohs scale's own definition of hardness 5. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it has been mistaken for so many other minerals. A steel knife marks it and a copper coin does not.
Aquarius
Your teeth are made of it.
Apatite is the definition of hardness 5, meaning it is the reference the whole scale is measured against and also soft enough that household dust scratches it. Your teeth are made of it. The name comes from the Greek for deceive, because it has been mistaken for nearly everything.
Pisces
Its name is Greek for deceive.
The mineral your bones and teeth are built from, and the reference point for hardness 5 on the Mohs scale, which means household dust scratches it. Its name is Greek for deceive, given because it kept being mistaken for other minerals. Acids and heat both damage it.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
air
Planet
Mercury
Chakra
throat, third-eye
Signs
gemini, libra, aries
What tradition says
In crystal lore, apatite is associated with appetite, both suppressing it and stimulating ambition, and with clear self-expression; the app must not present appetite-related claims as health advice.
Care
- Do not put this one in water. It dissolves or spalls. Dust it dry.
- Keep it out of direct sun. The colour goes and does not come back.
- Salt scratches it. Do not bury it in salt.
- Soft for a coloured stone and easily scratched by anything harder, including quartz and household dust. Sensitive to acids and to heat, and colour can fade with prolonged light. Warm water briefly, dry immediately, no ultrasonics.
Common questions
What does blue apatite mean?
Blue Apatite is carried for communication, clarity and intuition. The mineral your teeth and bones are made of, and the Mohs scale's definition of hardness 5.. Tradition links it to the throat, third-eye chakra.
Is blue apatite real or fake?
Some blue and neon material is heat-treated or irradiated to intensify colour. Fracture-filling with resin is used on heavily included stones.. Hardness 5 exactly: a steel knife scratches it, a copper coin does not, and it will not scratch glass. Aquamarine (7.. Some blue and neon material is heat-treated or irradiated to intensify colour.
Can blue apatite go in water?
No. Blue Apatite dissolves or spalls in water. Dust it dry instead of soaking it, and keep it out of salt.
- Read: the crystals you cannot put in water →
- Read: the crystals that fade in sunlight →
- Read: fake crystals and the four tests that settle it →
Uncommon · teal blue, neon blue-green, indigo, yellow-green, violet
Where this leads
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works