White Gemstones and Crystals and The Third Eye
White Gemstones and Crystals and The Third Eye
When people think about a white gemstones and crystals, diamond is usually the first gemstone to come to mind, but there are a number of other white gemstones available today.
White in the gemstone world refers to both white and colorless gemstones.
But before I go on, I must note that the color white does not contain all colors of the human visible spectrum, as many people believe. But it is white light (sunlight, fluorescent light) that contains all of the colors of the visible spectrum.
The several gemstones listed here contain white as their primary color. They are White Calcite, White Zircon, White Topaz, White Sapphire, White Quartz, White Cat's Eye Moonstone, White Howlite, White Moonstone, White Opal, White Coral, White Diamond, White Rutile Quartz, White Rainbow Moonstone, White Quartz Cat's Eye, White Sodalite, White Mother of Pearl and White Goshenite gemstones.
White gemstones are usually linked with protection from nightmares and also from evil spirits and removal of negative energy. They are great cleansers and purifiers of the surrounding where you stand and also at home and office. They are connected with psychic energy and with the moon.
White gemstones are also powerful amplifiers of other gemstones and crystals; and in some white crystals, the colors of the visible spectrum come alive.
White gemstones like pearl and diamond represent innocence and purity. They also represent wisdom and knowledge, and increasing awareness. White gemstones, such as Calcite, are associated with the Third Eye chakra, the third eye being the symbol for the awakening of the self to a higher state of consciousness.
White crystals [such as Calcite] are also associated with the pineal gland and also with the inner ear.
Calcite microcrystals with cubic, hexagonal, and cylindrical structures with the elements of calcium, carbon and oxygen have been found in the pineal gland, also in the otoconia structure of the inner ear.
Calcite
Calcite in its purest form is colorless, and completely transparent. It can come in gray, yellow, orange, green, red, blue and black due to impurities and coloring agents like iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and cobalt. The black Calcite is often referred to as Shamanite.
Calcite is also known as 'limespar' or 'calspar' and is the mineral that is usually found in metamorphic marble. Calcite which is the common component of limestone, also contains organic materials such as shell remains of marine organisms. Calcite, thus is very similar to organic gems such as pearl and coral including mother-of-pearl, nacre and seashells.
The double refraction of calcite was first reported by Erasmus Bartholinus in 1669. This property known also as birefringence is the splitting of light that passes through a calcite crystal into two rays. Today, Iceland spar calcite is still used in some optical instruments such as polarizing microscopes.
Calcite is used in crystal healing for physical strength and alleviation of back pain. Since ancient times it was known to be beneficial for bones, teeth and eyes.
Calcite was much respected and admired by astrologers of the past, just as it is today. It is the stone that represents Venus and both the Sun and the Moon.
White Zircon
Zircon in its purest form is white or colorless and occurs in a wide range of color due to impurities.
The white variety of zircon so closely resembles the diamond that it is easily confused to be a diamond.
However, a white zircon is 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale whereas a diamond is 10. This means that a white zircon is relatively easier to be damaged and scratched than a diamond if it is not well taken care of.
White zircon's brilliance and fire is twice that of a diamond due to its high dispersion and refraction index. In terms of antiquity and rarity, zircon is the oldest gemstone on planet Earth. To be precise it is 4.4 billion years old, much much older than diamonds. The natural white zircons are also rarer than diamonds.
White Topaz
Topaz, in its purest form is white or colorless. However, it also occurs in a wide range of color due to impurities. White Topaz has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale.
In the early times, topaz was often mistaken for diamonds too, due to its clarity. The crown jewels of Portugal and Saxony were found to be topaz and not diamond as was thought to be.
Topaz is a silicate mineral with aluminum and fluorine. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale which makes it ideal to be used in jewelry.
It has a glass-like luster and is translucent to transparent. Topaz feels very smooth, almost slippery to the touch. Real topaz feels cool.
Topaz is also a pleochroic gemstone and can have varied color intensity when viewed at different angles. It is usually white or colorless, some with chromium impurities which create a number of tints in topaz.
Topaz occurs in a wide range of colors. The most valuable colors for use in jewelry are natural pink, orange, red, purple and blue.
White Sapphire
Sapphire gemstone is of an aluminum oxide chemical composition. It has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale.
It is transparent to opaque in clarity and has a double refraction and is pleochroic. It can display two colors depending on the angle at which it is viewed. The stone can look deep blue from one angle and a bit greenish blue from another.
Sapphires have a glass-like luster, and the colorless sapphire has an orange-yellow and violet fluorescence.
Sapphire and Ruby are made of the same chemical composition. Both are equally famous, valuable and extremely rare (rarer than diamonds). They are members of the Corundum family. They are different only in terms of colors. Rubies come in different shades of red whereas Sapphires for the most part is known for its beautiful blue color though they can also be found in yellow, green, orange and purple. There are also colorless and black sapphires.
The word "sapphire" refers to the blue colored stones. The others that come with a color prefix, for example, yellow sapphire, purple sapphire, etcetera are known as Fancy Sapphires. However, this term does not apply to the colorless, black and the blue types.
White Sapphire is the best substitute for the diamond.
White Quartz
White Quartz gemstones in its purest form is also white or colorless but can also occur in a wide range of colors due to impurities.
White Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
White Cat's Eye Moonstone
White Cat's Eye Moonstone are the transparent to an opaque variety of moonstone that exhibits chatoyancy. Chatoyancy is a phenomenon where the reflection of light on the gemstone resembles closely the slit of a cat's eye. The Cat’s Eye effect is rare and can be found only in few gemstones such as Chrysoberyl, Apatite, Aquamarine and Tourmaline.
White cat's eye moonstone gemstones have a hardness ranging from 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
White Howlite
White Howlite gemstones were named after Henry How when he discovered them in 1868.
White Howlite gemstone resembles white marble or white porcelain but it has more luster than these two. Howlite gemstones are opaque and pure white. They are porous and can absorb dye very well and most often are sold as Turquoise, Red Coral, or Lapis Lazuli. Howlite has a hardness ranging from 3.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale.
White Moonstone Gemstones
Moonstone is the trade name of Orthoclase Feldspar. It is a variety of Feldspar which is a very common mineral here on Earth. Moonstone is of a potassium aluminum and silicate chemical composition with a monoclinic, prismatic crystal structure.
Moonstone comes in a variety of colors including white, gray, pink, yellow, orange, brown and red, each with its unique gloss or sparkle. Note: Rainbow Moonstone is a variety of Labradorite but is considered a Moonstone as it gives a blue hue.
Moonstone has a hardness ranging from 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale and it has a perfect cleavage. Its luster is pearl-like and glass-like and it has a weak bluish-orange fluorescence.
Moonstones are translucent to transparent with the transparent ones being more valuable. Inclusions that resemble the one hundred-legged worm "centipede" are found in some moonstones.
This shimmering visual phenomenon white moonstone gemstones display is known as ‘Adularescence.’ This shimmering or aura appears to glow from within the surface of the stone.
White Opal
White Opal gemstones can occur in a range of colors including white or colorless. White Opal gemstone displays the 'play of color' effect. White Opal is transparent to opaque with a glass-like luster. It has a hardness ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
Precious White Coral
Precious White Coral gemstones are the product of deep-water coral that formed in sea beds that are over 500 feet deep and include caverns and crevices.
Precious white coral gemstones are organic-material, and like other organic gemstones, they are neither hard nor durable.
Precious white coral gemstones have a hardness rating of 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale and they occur translucent to opaque.
White Diamond
The White Diamond gemstone is a transparent crystalline form of carbon, with a hardness of perfect 10. It is the hardest known organic substance on Earth.
White diamonds not only occur with an exceptional hardness but also with an excellent brilliance and a high 'dispersion rate' or fire.
Diamonds have a high refractive brilliance. This means that they can refract light into the seven colours of the rainbow in all directions at the same velocity. They shine like fire due to this high dispersion of light.
White Rutile Quartz Gemstone
White Rutile Quartz gemstone occur with needle-like inclusions in lovely patterns that appear like awesome sculptures. Some White Rutile quartz come with fine hair like needles intersecting, whereas others come with dense cluster of thick needles.
White Rutilated Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, like all quartzes.
White Rainbow Moonstone
White Rainbow Moonstone gemstone is a variety of Labradorite which displays a blue or multicolored adularescence. White Rainbow Moonstone is not true moonstone. True Moonstone is Orthoclase, that is to say, of a different material. But the adularescence is the reason why White Rainbow Moonstone is called a ‘Moonstone.’ Then again, the adularescence of White Rainbow Moonstone is a different phenomenon than the adularescence of Moonstone. For this reason, White Rainbow Moonstone is also referred to as Labradorite Moonstone in order to differentiate it from Orthoclase Moonstone. This adularescence appears like a source of light or sheen coming from within.
White Rainbow Moonstone gemstones have a hardness ranging from 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
White Quartz Cat's Eye
White Quartz Cat's Eye gemstones are a macrocrystalline variety of the mineral quartz. The cat’s eye effect is produced by the presence of mineral inclusion that are tube-like in a parallel orientation inside the quartz. This effect resembles the slit eye of a cat, and is produced by the reflection of light and parallel fibers, needles or inclusions within the gemstone.
White quartz cat's eye gemstones have a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
White Sodalite gemstone
Sodalite gets its name from its high sodium content. It is of a basic copper carbonate chemical composition. It is a deep blue mineral with white veins or patches running through it.
Sodalite comes in a wide variety of colors such as white, gray, yellow, orange and pink. However, it is typically the deep blue color similar to Lapis Lazuli that is usually used as a gemstone.
Sodalite has a hardness ranging from 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale.
White sodalite gemstones tend to display a glass like luster with a greasy brilliance on fractures. It is transparent to opaque and can include white calcite inclusions that look like veins or patches.
Opaque white sodalite gemstones are cut as cabochons whereas transparent White Sodalite gemstones which are rare are often faceted.
White Mother of Pearl Gemstone
Nacre or the Mother of the Pearl is the inner iridescent layer of molluscan shells (shell in which the precious pearl is formed). Nacre is composed of brittle calcium carbonate crystals known as aragonite with conchiolin which acts like a glue or cement. Though nacre has a hardness of only 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, due to its lack of cleavage and irregular brick-and-mortar-like crystal structure, it is a tough and durable material.
Mother-of-Pearl and Pearl are the same in chemical composition. Depending on the environment in which the mollusks grow, they can come in white, gray, silver, yellow, blue-green, bronze, pink, red, brown, black or banded.
White mother-of-pearl gemstones are more prevalent than pearls because pearl-producing mollusks, for example, rarely produce pearls in nature, but they all create a shell to protect their soft bodies from animals that might want to eat them. Most pearls used in gemstone jewelry today are cultured rather than naturally grown pearls.
White Goshenite Gemstone
Goshenite, which is part of the famous Beryl family of gemstones that includes green Emerald and blue Aquamarine, is the purest and the only colorless beryl as it contains no impurities. It is also one of the Precious Beryls that include Morganite, Heliodor, Golden Beryl and Bixbite.
Though colorless, Goshenite can be changed to green, yellow, blue, pink and yellow by adding impurities in the stone.
Goshenite can also be used as an alternative for Emeralds and other colored gemstones by adding impurities or colored foil. The colored coil is similar to the coating that is used to enhance the colors of Mystic Quartz or Topaz.
Goshenite has a hardness ranging from 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. It occurs in a unique six-sided hexagonal crystal structure and this distinguishing feature differentiate it from other colorless gemstones.
Goshenite has an excellent clarity and transparency
White goshenite gemstones are also considered an excellent source for beryllium.
Also read: ON THE SACRED STONES, THEIR COLORS & THE CHAKRAS:
https://greatspiritlodge.shop/blogs/news/on-the-sacred-stones-their-colors-the-chakras-1
When people think about a white gemstones and crystals, diamond is usually the first gemstone to come to mind, but there are a number of other white gemstones available today.
White in the gemstone world refers to both white and colorless gemstones.
But before I go on, I must note that the color white does not contain all colors of the human visible spectrum, as many people believe. But it is white light (sunlight, fluorescent light) that contains all of the colors of the visible spectrum.
The several gemstones listed here contain white as their primary color. They are White Calcite, White Zircon, White Topaz, White Sapphire, White Quartz, White Cat's Eye Moonstone, White Howlite, White Moonstone, White Opal, White Coral, White Diamond, White Rutile Quartz, White Rainbow Moonstone, White Quartz Cat's Eye, White Sodalite, White Mother of Pearl and White Goshenite gemstones.
White gemstones are usually linked with protection from nightmares and also from evil spirits and removal of negative energy. They are great cleansers and purifiers of the surrounding where you stand and also at home and office. They are connected with psychic energy and with the moon.
White gemstones are also powerful amplifiers of other gemstones and crystals; and in some white crystals, the colors of the visible spectrum come alive.
White gemstones like pearl and diamond represent innocence and purity. They also represent wisdom and knowledge, and increasing awareness. White gemstones, such as Calcite, are associated with the Third Eye chakra, the third eye being the symbol for the awakening of the self to a higher state of consciousness.
White crystals [such as Calcite] are also associated with the pineal gland and also with the inner ear.
Calcite microcrystals with cubic, hexagonal, and cylindrical structures with the elements of calcium, carbon and oxygen have been found in the pineal gland, also in the otoconia structure of the inner ear.
Calcite
Calcite in its purest form is colorless, and completely transparent. It can come in gray, yellow, orange, green, red, blue and black due to impurities and coloring agents like iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and cobalt. The black Calcite is often referred to as Shamanite.
Calcite is also known as 'limespar' or 'calspar' and is the mineral that is usually found in metamorphic marble. Calcite which is the common component of limestone, also contains organic materials such as shell remains of marine organisms. Calcite, thus is very similar to organic gems such as pearl and coral including mother-of-pearl, nacre and seashells.
The double refraction of calcite was first reported by Erasmus Bartholinus in 1669. This property known also as birefringence is the splitting of light that passes through a calcite crystal into two rays. Today, Iceland spar calcite is still used in some optical instruments such as polarizing microscopes.
Calcite is used in crystal healing for physical strength and alleviation of back pain. Since ancient times it was known to be beneficial for bones, teeth and eyes.
Calcite was much respected and admired by astrologers of the past, just as it is today. It is the stone that represents Venus and both the Sun and the Moon.
White Zircon
Zircon in its purest form is white or colorless and occurs in a wide range of color due to impurities.
The white variety of zircon so closely resembles the diamond that it is easily confused to be a diamond.
However, a white zircon is 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale whereas a diamond is 10. This means that a white zircon is relatively easier to be damaged and scratched than a diamond if it is not well taken care of.
White zircon's brilliance and fire is twice that of a diamond due to its high dispersion and refraction index. In terms of antiquity and rarity, zircon is the oldest gemstone on planet Earth. To be precise it is 4.4 billion years old, much much older than diamonds. The natural white zircons are also rarer than diamonds.
White Topaz
Topaz, in its purest form is white or colorless. However, it also occurs in a wide range of color due to impurities. White Topaz has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale.
In the early times, topaz was often mistaken for diamonds too, due to its clarity. The crown jewels of Portugal and Saxony were found to be topaz and not diamond as was thought to be.
Topaz is a silicate mineral with aluminum and fluorine. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale which makes it ideal to be used in jewelry.
It has a glass-like luster and is translucent to transparent. Topaz feels very smooth, almost slippery to the touch. Real topaz feels cool.
Topaz is also a pleochroic gemstone and can have varied color intensity when viewed at different angles. It is usually white or colorless, some with chromium impurities which create a number of tints in topaz.
Topaz occurs in a wide range of colors. The most valuable colors for use in jewelry are natural pink, orange, red, purple and blue.
White Sapphire
Sapphire gemstone is of an aluminum oxide chemical composition. It has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale.
It is transparent to opaque in clarity and has a double refraction and is pleochroic. It can display two colors depending on the angle at which it is viewed. The stone can look deep blue from one angle and a bit greenish blue from another.
Sapphires have a glass-like luster, and the colorless sapphire has an orange-yellow and violet fluorescence.
Sapphire and Ruby are made of the same chemical composition. Both are equally famous, valuable and extremely rare (rarer than diamonds). They are members of the Corundum family. They are different only in terms of colors. Rubies come in different shades of red whereas Sapphires for the most part is known for its beautiful blue color though they can also be found in yellow, green, orange and purple. There are also colorless and black sapphires.
The word "sapphire" refers to the blue colored stones. The others that come with a color prefix, for example, yellow sapphire, purple sapphire, etcetera are known as Fancy Sapphires. However, this term does not apply to the colorless, black and the blue types.
White Sapphire is the best substitute for the diamond.
White Quartz
White Quartz gemstones in its purest form is also white or colorless but can also occur in a wide range of colors due to impurities.
White Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
White Cat's Eye Moonstone
White Cat's Eye Moonstone are the transparent to an opaque variety of moonstone that exhibits chatoyancy. Chatoyancy is a phenomenon where the reflection of light on the gemstone resembles closely the slit of a cat's eye. The Cat’s Eye effect is rare and can be found only in few gemstones such as Chrysoberyl, Apatite, Aquamarine and Tourmaline.
White cat's eye moonstone gemstones have a hardness ranging from 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
White Howlite
White Howlite gemstones were named after Henry How when he discovered them in 1868.
White Howlite gemstone resembles white marble or white porcelain but it has more luster than these two. Howlite gemstones are opaque and pure white. They are porous and can absorb dye very well and most often are sold as Turquoise, Red Coral, or Lapis Lazuli. Howlite has a hardness ranging from 3.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale.
White Moonstone Gemstones
Moonstone is the trade name of Orthoclase Feldspar. It is a variety of Feldspar which is a very common mineral here on Earth. Moonstone is of a potassium aluminum and silicate chemical composition with a monoclinic, prismatic crystal structure.
Moonstone comes in a variety of colors including white, gray, pink, yellow, orange, brown and red, each with its unique gloss or sparkle. Note: Rainbow Moonstone is a variety of Labradorite but is considered a Moonstone as it gives a blue hue.
Moonstone has a hardness ranging from 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale and it has a perfect cleavage. Its luster is pearl-like and glass-like and it has a weak bluish-orange fluorescence.
Moonstones are translucent to transparent with the transparent ones being more valuable. Inclusions that resemble the one hundred-legged worm "centipede" are found in some moonstones.
This shimmering visual phenomenon white moonstone gemstones display is known as ‘Adularescence.’ This shimmering or aura appears to glow from within the surface of the stone.
White Opal
White Opal gemstones can occur in a range of colors including white or colorless. White Opal gemstone displays the 'play of color' effect. White Opal is transparent to opaque with a glass-like luster. It has a hardness ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
Precious White Coral
Precious White Coral gemstones are the product of deep-water coral that formed in sea beds that are over 500 feet deep and include caverns and crevices.
Precious white coral gemstones are organic-material, and like other organic gemstones, they are neither hard nor durable.
Precious white coral gemstones have a hardness rating of 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale and they occur translucent to opaque.
White Diamond
The White Diamond gemstone is a transparent crystalline form of carbon, with a hardness of perfect 10. It is the hardest known organic substance on Earth.
White diamonds not only occur with an exceptional hardness but also with an excellent brilliance and a high 'dispersion rate' or fire.
Diamonds have a high refractive brilliance. This means that they can refract light into the seven colours of the rainbow in all directions at the same velocity. They shine like fire due to this high dispersion of light.
White Rutile Quartz Gemstone
White Rutile Quartz gemstone occur with needle-like inclusions in lovely patterns that appear like awesome sculptures. Some White Rutile quartz come with fine hair like needles intersecting, whereas others come with dense cluster of thick needles.
White Rutilated Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, like all quartzes.
White Rainbow Moonstone
White Rainbow Moonstone gemstone is a variety of Labradorite which displays a blue or multicolored adularescence. White Rainbow Moonstone is not true moonstone. True Moonstone is Orthoclase, that is to say, of a different material. But the adularescence is the reason why White Rainbow Moonstone is called a ‘Moonstone.’ Then again, the adularescence of White Rainbow Moonstone is a different phenomenon than the adularescence of Moonstone. For this reason, White Rainbow Moonstone is also referred to as Labradorite Moonstone in order to differentiate it from Orthoclase Moonstone. This adularescence appears like a source of light or sheen coming from within.
White Rainbow Moonstone gemstones have a hardness ranging from 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
White Quartz Cat's Eye
White Quartz Cat's Eye gemstones are a macrocrystalline variety of the mineral quartz. The cat’s eye effect is produced by the presence of mineral inclusion that are tube-like in a parallel orientation inside the quartz. This effect resembles the slit eye of a cat, and is produced by the reflection of light and parallel fibers, needles or inclusions within the gemstone.
White quartz cat's eye gemstones have a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
White Sodalite gemstone
Sodalite gets its name from its high sodium content. It is of a basic copper carbonate chemical composition. It is a deep blue mineral with white veins or patches running through it.
Sodalite comes in a wide variety of colors such as white, gray, yellow, orange and pink. However, it is typically the deep blue color similar to Lapis Lazuli that is usually used as a gemstone.
Sodalite has a hardness ranging from 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale.
White sodalite gemstones tend to display a glass like luster with a greasy brilliance on fractures. It is transparent to opaque and can include white calcite inclusions that look like veins or patches.
Opaque white sodalite gemstones are cut as cabochons whereas transparent White Sodalite gemstones which are rare are often faceted.
White Mother of Pearl Gemstone
Nacre or the Mother of the Pearl is the inner iridescent layer of molluscan shells (shell in which the precious pearl is formed). Nacre is composed of brittle calcium carbonate crystals known as aragonite with conchiolin which acts like a glue or cement. Though nacre has a hardness of only 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, due to its lack of cleavage and irregular brick-and-mortar-like crystal structure, it is a tough and durable material.
Mother-of-Pearl and Pearl are the same in chemical composition. Depending on the environment in which the mollusks grow, they can come in white, gray, silver, yellow, blue-green, bronze, pink, red, brown, black or banded.
White mother-of-pearl gemstones are more prevalent than pearls because pearl-producing mollusks, for example, rarely produce pearls in nature, but they all create a shell to protect their soft bodies from animals that might want to eat them. Most pearls used in gemstone jewelry today are cultured rather than naturally grown pearls.
White Goshenite Gemstone
Goshenite, which is part of the famous Beryl family of gemstones that includes green Emerald and blue Aquamarine, is the purest and the only colorless beryl as it contains no impurities. It is also one of the Precious Beryls that include Morganite, Heliodor, Golden Beryl and Bixbite.
Though colorless, Goshenite can be changed to green, yellow, blue, pink and yellow by adding impurities in the stone.
Goshenite can also be used as an alternative for Emeralds and other colored gemstones by adding impurities or colored foil. The colored coil is similar to the coating that is used to enhance the colors of Mystic Quartz or Topaz.
Goshenite has a hardness ranging from 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. It occurs in a unique six-sided hexagonal crystal structure and this distinguishing feature differentiate it from other colorless gemstones.
Goshenite has an excellent clarity and transparency
White goshenite gemstones are also considered an excellent source for beryllium.
Also read: ON THE SACRED STONES, THEIR COLORS & THE CHAKRAS:
https://greatspiritlodge.shop/blogs/news/on-the-sacred-stones-their-colors-the-chakras-1