Celestite
celestine
Strontium sulfate, the mineral that makes fireworks red, growing as pale blue crystal-lined cavities in Madagascan and Ohioan sedimentary rock. It is unreasonably fragile, the crystals break if you look at them wrong, and the colour bleaches in a sunny room. People carry it for calm, communication and sleep.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
This one does not go in water. It dissolves.
Mineral facts
Hardness
3-3.5 Mohs
Formula
SrSO4
Family
sulfate
Where it comes from
Madagascar (Sakoany), USA (Ohio, Put-in-Bay), Mexico, Egypt, UK (Bristol, historic)
What it is
Strontium sulfate, the mineral that makes fireworks red, growing as pale blue crystal-lined cavities in Madagascan and Ohioan sedimentary rock. It is unreasonably fragile, the crystals break if you look at them wrong, and the colour bleaches in a sunny room. One of the few genuinely delicate things in the trade.
What it is confused with
blue-calcite, barite, angelite, blue-quartz, dyed-quartz-geode
Almost always sold as a hollow geode lined with short, blocky, tabular pale-blue crystals with bright glassy terminations, the blue is very pale, cool and slightly milky, and the crystals look wet. Individual crystals are stubby prisms with wedge-shaped ends and show good cleavage in one direction plus a second, so broken faces are flat and pearly. The geode shell is grey-brown limestone or marl. Noticeably heavy for its size because of the strontium. Very soft: a copper coin marks it.
How to tell
Does not fizz in vinegar (which separates it from blue calcite). Hardness 3, 3.5 and unusually high density for a pale mineral. A flame test on a fragment burns crimson from strontium, though that is a lab move rather than a shop one.
Untreated, but dyed blue quartz geodes are sold as celestite, those are hard (7) and vividly coloured, and the dye pools between crystals.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Celestite is a sulfate, 3-3.5 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.
Celestite for every sign
Aries
Handle it by the grey shell and nothing else.
The crystals shear off if you pick the geode up by them, and the blue bleaches out in a sunny room inside a season. Strontium sulfate, the mineral that makes fireworks red, grown in cavities in Madagascan rock. Handle it by the grey shell and nothing else.
Taurus
The blue bleaches out in a sunny room.
Strontium sulfate, the mineral that makes fireworks red, growing as pale blue crystal-lined cavities in Madagascan rock. The blue bleaches out in a sunny room. The crystals shear off under almost no pressure, which makes it one of very few genuinely delicate things in the trade.
Gemini
The element that makes fireworks red, growing pale blue.
Never pick a celestite geode up by the crystals. They shear off under almost no force, and the pale blue bleaches out in a sunny room within a year. Strontium is what makes it heavy for its size and what makes fireworks red.
Cancer
A hollow shell with the blue growing inward.
Never lift a celestite geode by the crystals. They shear off under almost no force, and the blue bleaches out in a sunny room. What you have is a hollow limestone shell with strontium sulfate growing inward, heavy for its size.
Leo
The compound that reddens fireworks, growing quietly inside a geode.
Strontium sulfate is what puts the red in fireworks, and this is the same compound growing as pale blue crystals inside Madagascan geodes. It bleaches in a sunny room and the crystals shear off under almost no pressure. Never lift the geode by its crystals.
Virgo
Never lift the geode by its crystals.
Never lift a celestite geode by the crystals. They shear off the wall under almost no pressure, and the pale blue bleaches out in a sunny room besides. Strontium sulfate, the same element that makes fireworks red, and one of very few genuinely delicate things in the trade.
Libra
Something that fragile is not restful to own.
The blue is strontium sulfate, the mineral that makes fireworks red, grown as pale crystals inside hollow geodes in Madagascan marl. It is absurdly fragile and the colour bleaches out in a sunny room. Something that delicate is not restful to own, whatever the shelf card says.
Scorpio
It does not survive being picked up by its crystals.
Strontium sulfate, the mineral that puts the red in fireworks, growing as pale blue crystal linings in Madagascan and Ohioan sedimentary rock. The blue bleaches out in a sunny room. It does not survive being picked up by its crystals, which is how most people pick it up.
Sagittarius
Strontium sulphate, the mineral behind red fireworks.
Strontium sulphate, the mineral behind red fireworks, growing as pale blue crystal-lined cavities in Madagascan and Ohioan sedimentary rock. The crystals shear off if you handle a geode by them and the blue bleaches in a sunny room. Dry brush, never water.
Capricorn
Never lift a geode by its terminations.
Strontium sulfate, the mineral behind red fireworks, grown as pale blue crystal linings in Madagascan and Ohioan rock. The crystals shear off under almost no force and the blue bleaches out in a sunny room. Never lift a geode by its terminations and never wash it.
Aquarius
Strontium sulfate is what makes fireworks red.
Strontium sulfate is what makes fireworks red, and this is the crystal form of it, lining hollow geodes in Madagascan and Ohioan rock. The crystals shear off if you lift a geode by them, and the blue bleaches out in a sunny room. Keep it away from water.
Pisces
Never lift the geode by the crystals.
The crystals shear off under almost no pressure, so never lift the geode by the crystals. Strontium sulfate, pale blue and slightly milky, lining cavities in Madagascan and Ohioan rock, and the blue bleaches out in a sunny room within months. Dry brush, nothing else.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
air
Planet
Neptune
Chakra
throat, third-eye, crown
Signs
gemini, libra, aquarius, pisces
What tradition says
In crystal lore, celestite is associated with angelic contact, calm and clear communication; the name comes from Latin caelestis, 'heavenly', for the colour rather than any tradition.
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.
- The blue genuinely fades in sunlight — keep it out of windows. Crystals shear off with almost no force, so never handle a geode by its crystals. Dry brush only; water dulls the terminations.
Common questions
What does celestite mean?
Celestite is carried for calm, communication and sleep. Strontium sulfate, the mineral that makes fireworks red, growing as pale blue crystal-lined cavities in Madagascan and Ohioan sedimentary rock.. Tradition links it to the throat, third-eye, crown chakra.
Is celestite real or fake?
Celestite is not faked often, but it is still worth checking. Does not fizz in vinegar (which separates it from blue calcite). Hardness 3, 3.. Untreated, but dyed blue quartz geodes are sold as celestite, those are hard (7) and vividly coloured, and the dye pools between crystals.
Can celestite go in water?
No. Celestite dissolves or spalls in water. Dust it dry instead of soaking it, and keep it out of salt.
Common · pale sky blue, ice blue, colorless, faint grey, pale yellow
Where this leads
This stone belongs to
Related crystals
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works