Apatite: meaning, properties and lore

The mineral

The series includes fluorapatite, chlorapatite, hydroxylapatite and carbonate-apatite, all calcium phosphates, and the members differ chemically only in whether they contain fluorine, chlorine, a hydroxyl group or a carbonate group. Fluorapatite is the most common type, and most natural apatite is a mixture of several of these compounds because fluorine, chlorine, hydroxyl and carbonate substitute for one another.¹²

Apatite is a member of a group of structurally related minerals with compositions symbolised A5(BO4)3X, where A is a metal, commonly calcium or lead. As a primary phosphate it is particularly common in granitic pegmatites, with the formula Ca5(F,Cl,OH)(PO4)3. Metamorphic apatite occurs in calc-silicate rocks and impure limestones. The group belongs to the hexagonal crystal system, and the crystal form is a hexagonal prism terminated at one or both ends by a hexagonal pyramid.¹²³⁴⁹

Apatite has a Mohs hardness of 5, compared with 7 to 9 for most gems, and a specific gravity of about 3.17 to 3.23. Its lustre is vitreous, and it ranges from vitreous to resinous or fatty, being subtransparent in glassy forms but more often subtranslucent and opaque. Much apatite material is clear, but it is fragile and difficult to cut and polish. The apatite crystals show slightly corroded crystal faces, which indicate a certain degree of softness.¹⁵⁶³⁹

Apatite occurs in a variety of colours and is usually transparent to translucent. It is found as variously coloured glassy crystals, masses or nodules, in colours of sea-green, bluish green and violet blue, and occasionally yellow, brown, gray or red. Blue apatite is particularly rare and popular, and it is known for its bright blue hues. Blue colour in natural apatite is attributed to the substitution of PO4 3– with MnO4 3–, according to P.D. Johnson et al.'s study in Science.¹²¹⁰⁵⁶

Chatoyancy is a very common phenomenon in apatite crystals with green or yellow bodycolours, while deep blue apatite with a cat's-eye effect is very rare. Asparagus stone is a clear asparagus-green gem variety of apatite. Apatite is a phosphate mineral and a relatively common mineral that often occurs as an inclusion in gems, having been reported as an inclusion in corundum from several countries and identified in emerald, spinel and garnet.¹²⁴¹¹

Apatite is found in many localities. In the Laurentian rocks of Quebec and Ontario it occurs with pyroxene intrusions that traverse the gneisses and limestones of the Grenville series, and Canadian apatite occurs mainly in the Lièvre district of Quebec, in Buckingham, Portland and Templeton townships, and in the Burgess and Kingston districts of Ontario. Apatite from Otter Lake in southern Quebec commonly forms elongated prismatic fluorapatite crystals on marble matrix. In California it occurs at the Dos Cabezas mine near Jacumba in San Diego County, and it is listed among the minerals of the Pala region's pegmatite veins. An apatite crystal was excavated in Durango, Mexico.¹⁷⁵⁶⁸

History and lore

Ingall first announced the presence of apatite in the Laurentian rocks of Canada in 1829, near the Lièvre river in Buckingham township. Dr. T. S. Hunt referred in the Geological Survey Report for 1847 to apatite occurring in the township of North Burgess in Ontario.⁸

Mr. Eugene Coste, in the Report for 1887-88, held that apatite occurs as the result of emanations accompanying igneous intrusions in the Ontario and Quebec districts. Prof. A. Osann of Germany, in his 1899 report, concluded that the pyroxene masses of the Lièvre district are intrusive and that the contained apatite is not of organic origin.⁸

Early in the industry, apatite was called rock phosphate when massive and sugar phosphate when finely granular, as recorded by R. W. Ells in a 1904 bulletin.⁸⁵¹

Canadian apatite was described by Ells as a sea-green mineral mined in the Lièvre area. Apatite from the crystalline rocks is of varying colours, generally a sea-green, but sometimes red, brown or greyish-white. Apatite crystals at the Ottawa region sometimes measure a foot or more in diameter and several feet in length, weighing hundreds of pounds.⁸⁹

Birthstone, zodiac and chakra links

Apatite is not recognised as a traditional birthstone for any specific month, according to crystal practitioners, who say it is often associated with the modern modern modern zodiac sign Gemini. This modern modern modern zodiac link is a modern practitioner link rather than an ancient one. Astrology sources list apatite among the crystals suited to the Air signs Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, and that is also a modern astrological grouping.¹²

Crystal practitioners in modern chakra practice associate yellow apatite with the solar plexus chakra, green apatite with the heart chakra, blue apatite with the throat chakra and violet apatite with the third eye chakra. These colour-to-chakra links are modern and are not recorded in any older writing on the stone.

What crystal practitioners say

Crystal practitioners associate apatite with the mind and with clear thinking. Practitioners say apatite promotes communication, enhances creativity and supports spiritual growth and intuition. Astrology writers say that apatite is best suited to Air sign people, who are blue and white crystal matches that help shut down overthinking and bring clarity and focus.¹²

Practitioners of blue apatite say it is often said to protect the throat area and support the voice of speakers and singers. Some practitioners believe blue apatite helps balance the energies of the ear. Green apatite is said to encourage the opening of consciousness, introspection and self-understanding in certain spiritual traditions.

Crystal practitioners say apatite is used in meditation to promote deep relaxation and a sense of connection with higher planes of being. Practitioners place the stone to work with the energy of a room, as the practice is described, and wear it during quiet reflection. Practitioners say apatite is charged by placing it in direct sunlight or moonlight for a few hours, a practice that the mineral's softness makes worth weighing, since the stone is fragile.¹

Practitioners in lithotherapy associate apatite with appetite regulation and metabolic stimulation, and it is sometimes mentioned as a supportive element in weight-loss efforts. According to The Healing Crystals First Aid Book, apatite encourages an upright, straight attitude mentally and physically, and it is described as strengthening the musculature while easing stress. Crystal healers hold that apatite is the second choice after fluorite for supporting bones, joints, sinews and muscles.¹³

What testing has found

Edzard Ernst, who analysed 150 complementary and alternative treatments, found no rigorous trials that test whether crystal healing has therapeutic value. In his assessment, no scientific proof exists that crystal healing produces any effect beyond placebo. Euronews, reporting on the topic, describes the scientific community as sceptical, since rigorous research into crystal therapy remains lacking.¹⁴¹⁵

In 2001, British psychologist Christopher French tested 80 volunteers who held crystals and meditated, asking them to distinguish genuine stones from imitations. Six participants reported no sensation whatsoever, whereas most of the others described sensations such as tingling or a better sense of wellbeing. Those holding counterfeit stones reported impressions much like those holding real ones, and French's team attributed the results to suggestion.¹⁴¹⁵

Participants could not tell real quartz crystals from fake glass ones, indicating a placebo effect only, according to Science-Based Medicine. Ted Kaptchuk, a Harvard Medical School professor, said placebo outcomes from unconventional medicine can be dramatic and especially compelling to patients.¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶

Researchers note that pleasant feelings reported with crystals may be attributed to the strong placebo effect or to believers' cognitive bias. Jarry explains that clinical trials strip interventions of placebo effects to determine whether they have a specific benefit. Current research on the apatite inclusions is separate from these tests: a 2013 McGill University master's thesis by F. Sinaei-Esfahani suggested calcite spheres formed at high temperature from entrapped carbonate melt.¹⁴⁷