Chrysoprase
chalcedony coloured by nickel
The only chalcedony coloured green by nickel rather than by iron or chromium, which is why the tone is unmistakably apple rather than forest. Frederick the Great collected it; Marlborough, Queensland now supplies most of it. People carry it for self-love, grief and calm. Tradition attaches it to the element earth, the heart chakra, Venus.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
Mineral facts
Hardness
6-7 Mohs
Formula
SiO2 + Ni
Family
chalcedony
Where it comes from
Australia (Marlborough, Queensland; Western Australia), Poland (Szklary), Tanzania, Brazil, Kazakhstan
What it is
The only chalcedony coloured green by nickel rather than by iron or chromium, which is why the tone is unmistakably apple rather than forest. Frederick the Great collected it; Marlborough, Queensland now supplies most of it. It fades in the sun, which nobody who sells it mentions.
What it is confused with
green-aventurine, jadeite-jade, serpentine, dyed-chalcedony, variscite
Even, milky, semi-translucent apple-green with no banding, no crystals and no glitter, the colour is dissolved through the stone rather than sitting in bands or spots. Waxy luster, conchoidal fracture, and a faint internal cloudiness like green glass with milk in it. Australian rough often carries brown limonite skin and darker green mottling. If it shows visible sparkle it is aventurine; if it shows sharp veining it is more likely jade or serpentine.
How to tell
Scratches glass and shows no sparkle and no fibrous structure. Dyed green chalcedony shows colour pooling in fractures under 10x. 'Lemon chrysoprase' is dyed or nickel-stained magnesite, it will scratch with a steel knife, real chrysoprase will not.
Genuine chrysoprase is untreated. Dyed green chalcedony and dyed magnesite are widely substituted.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Chrysoprase is a chalcedony, 6-7 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.
Chrysoprase for every sign
Aries
It fades in sunlight, and nobody selling it mentions that.
It fades in sunlight, and nobody selling it mentions that. The green comes from nickel dissolved evenly through the chalcedony, which is why the tone is apple rather than forest, and why Frederick the Great filled a room with it. Wear it in shade or watch it go pale.
Taurus
Keep it dark and wear it in shade.
The only chalcedony coloured green by nickel rather than by iron or chromium, which is why the tone is apple instead of forest. Frederick the Great collected it and Marlborough, Queensland now supplies most of it. The nickel colour genuinely fades, so keep it dark and wear it in shade.
Gemini
It fades in sun, which nobody selling it says.
The green comes from nickel, which is true of no other chalcedony, and that is why the tone reads apple instead of forest. Frederick the Great collected it. It fades under sun and heat, so wear it in shade and keep it in a box.
Cancer
The colour fades in sun and does not come back.
Store it dark. Nickel gives it the apple green, and nickel colour genuinely fades under sustained sun and heat, which the trade has documented for a century and the shop will not mention. Marlborough, Queensland supplies most of it.
Leo
The nickel green fades in sunlight, and sellers stay quiet.
The nickel colour fades in sunlight and nobody selling it will mention that. Apple-green, milky, no banding and no glitter, mostly out of Marlborough in Queensland. Frederick the Great collected it. Keep it in shade or watch it go pale on your wrist.
Virgo
Sun and heat fade it, and nobody mentions that.
The green comes from nickel rather than iron, which is why it reads apple instead of forest and why no other chalcedony looks like it. Sustained sun and heat fade it, a documented trade fact that never reaches the till. Frederick the Great collected it. You will be the one who keeps it in a drawer.
Libra
It fades in sunlight and no seller mentions it.
The only chalcedony coloured green by nickel rather than iron or chromium, which is why the tone lands on apple and never forest. Frederick the Great collected it. It fades in sunlight and no seller mentions that, because the beauty is the entire argument.
Scorpio
Medieval lapidaries filed it under secrecy.
Green from nickel rather than iron or chromium, which is why the tone reads apple instead of forest. The colour genuinely fades with sun and heat, a fact documented in the trade and volunteered by nobody in it. Medieval lapidaries filed it under secrecy.
Sagittarius
The colour genuinely fades in sunlight, and nobody says so.
Nickel does the colouring here, which is why the tone is apple and not forest. Frederick the Great collected it and Marlborough in Queensland now supplies most of it. The colour genuinely fades in sunlight, and nobody selling it says so.
Capricorn
It fades permanently and nobody selling it mentions that.
Nickel does the colouring here rather than iron, which is why the tone is apple and never forest. Frederick the Great collected it. It also fades in sunlight, permanently and well documented, which nobody selling it will mention.
Aquarius
It fades in sunlight and the people selling it rarely mention that.
Nickel does the colouring here, which is true of no other chalcedony and gives the green an apple tone instead of forest. Frederick the Great collected it. It fades in sunlight and the people selling it rarely mention that.
Pisces
The colour is dissolved through it rather than banded.
The green is dissolved evenly through the whole stone rather than sitting in bands or spots, which is what nickel does and iron never does. It looks like green glass with milk stirred into it. Long sun exposure genuinely fades it and the trade stays quiet about that.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
earth
Planet
Venus
Chakra
heart
Signs
libra, taurus, cancer
What tradition says
In crystal lore, chrysoprase is associated with the heart, with forgiveness and with recovery after loss; medieval lapidaries listed it as a stone of hope and secrecy.
Care
- Water is fine. Dry it afterwards.
- Keep it out of direct sun. The colour goes and does not come back.
- The nickel colour genuinely fades with prolonged sunlight and heat — this is well documented in the trade. Store dark, wear it in shade.
Common questions
What does chrysoprase mean?
Chrysoprase is carried for self-love, grief and calm. The only chalcedony coloured green by nickel rather than by iron or chromium, which is why the tone is unmistakably apple rather than forest.. Tradition links it to the heart chakra.
Is chrysoprase real or fake?
Chrysoprase is not faked often, but it is still worth checking. Scratches glass and shows no sparkle and no fibrous structure. Dyed green chalcedony shows colour pooling in fractures under 10x.. Genuine chrysoprase is untreated.
Can chrysoprase go in water?
A short rinse is fine for chrysoprase, then dry it. Keep it out of direct sun, because the colour fades and does not come back.
Uncommon · apple green, mint, yellow-green, deep grass green
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