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UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural inorganic gem materials · Mineral species · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Celestite / Celestine
Also known asCelestine
The strontium sulfate mineral species with the formula SrSO4, also spelled Celestine in English; individual specimens still need identification. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Celestite / Celestine forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- Caring for and wearing Celestite / CelestineCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them; durability indicators and wearing advice
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Celestite / CelestineEach value with its source and check date
- Celestite / Celestine in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Name origin and history of Celestite / CelestineWhere the name comes from
- Listing and disclosing Celestite / CelestineThe listing name to use
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
Celestine is the mineral strontium sulfate (SrSO4), a member of the barite group and the most common strontium mineral. It may be of primary sedimentary or diagenetic origin, but typically forms as fissure and cavity fillings precipitated by migrating strontium-bearing groundwater or basinal brines in carbonate rocks; it also occurs in hydrothermal veins and mafic volcanic rocks. Precipitates may be massive, fibrous, or earthy. Its name derives from the Latin for celestial, alluding to its typical bluish color.
Scope: Covers the origin and occurrence of celestine as a natural strontium sulphate mineral; does not address synthetic strontium sulphate or market names.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Where it forms
Fissures and cavities in carbonate rocks, filled and precipitated by migrating strontium-bearing groundwater or basinal brines
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Hydrothermal veins and mafic volcanic rocks; associated with gypsum, anhydrite, sulfur, strontianite, calcite, dolomite, and fluorite
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
How it forms, step by step
Strontium-bearing groundwater or basinal brines migrate through carbonate rocks, dissolving and transporting strontium.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
The fluids move along fractures and cavities and precipitate strontium sulfate within carbonate rocks, concretions, and nodules.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Precipitation builds massive, fibrous, tabular, or earthy aggregates; deposition may also occur in hydrothermal veins and mafic volcanic rocks.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Link to appearance
Celestine is commonly colorless or white, but can be pale blue, pink, pale green, pale brown, or black; its name (from the Latin for celestial) alludes to the typical bluish color, and it shows weak pleochroism in different directions.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Timescale
The source does not state a timescale or absolute age for celestine formation.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Supporting findings
Celestine may originate in primary sedimentary or diagenetic settings, yet most commonly it is deposited as fissure and cavity fillings, emplaced by basinal brines or by strontium-bearing groundwater on the move within carbonate rocks, concretions and nodules; hydrothermal veins and mafic volcanic rocks are additional hosts.
Evidence grade BScope: Applies to natural celestine occurrences; excludes synthetic strontium sulfate.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
The migration and precipitation of strontium-bearing groundwater or basinal brines within fractures and cavities in carbonate rocks is the dominant formation mechanism of celestine; precipitation may produce massive, fibrous, or earthy aggregates.
Evidence grade BScope: Applies to precipitation from migrating strontium-bearing fluids; specific P-T conditions are not quantified in this source.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
Africa
- Sakoany, near Mahajanga, MadagascarListed by HoM among localities for fine and large crystals
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
North America
- Near Bellwood, Blair County, Pennsylvania, United StatesListed by HoM among localities for fine and large crystals
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
These are localities recorded by authoritative sources, not an origin finding for any individual piece. The CIBJO Gemstone Book (2022, §4.2.3) says a place of origin names where a gem was mined or harvested, is a matter of opinion, does not imply a level of quality, and that cutting, processing or exporting centres must not be used to imply origin. See the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Where the name comes from
Celestine is from the Latin for "celestial", in allusion to its typical bluish colour.
Evidence grade BScope: This states only the origin of the name and does not establish the material's composition, locality, natural origin, or whether it was treated.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Other research findings
Celestine has the formula SrSO4 (strontium sulfate), belongs to the barite group, and forms a series with barite.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes formula, mineral group, and solid-solution series; does not address trace-element color mechanisms.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Celestine is the most common strontium mineral; its name comes from the Latin for celestial, alluding to its typical bluish color.
Evidence grade BScope: Covers its abundance status and name etymology; the etymology is not a genetic or compositional criterion.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Under the CIBJO definition, only materials formed completely by nature without human intervention during formation qualify as 'natural'; celestine, as a natural mineral species, satisfies this identity boundary.
Evidence grade AScope: Defines its status as a natural material; does not assess locality or quality grade.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- The source does not state a timescale or absolute age for celestine formation.
- The specific temperature, pressure, and fluid chemistry of celestine precipitation are not quantified in this source.
- Aside from the bluish color implied by its name etymology, the source does not explain the mechanisms behind its various colors.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Celestite / Celestine
GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1 “Celestite” · IMA Mineral List 2026-07 “Celestine”
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
Celestite / Celestine is Celestine (SrSO4); use "Celestite / Celestine" for listings, and disclose any known treatments.
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Celestite / Celestine" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Care and wear
Care
care (light)3 sources compared
Celestite / Celestine — care (light): a US National Park Service collections-care leaflet names blue celestite among minerals whose colour can fade on exposure to light.
NPS Conserve O Gram 11/2
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- National Park Service, Conserve O Gram 11/2, “Storage Concerns for Geological Collections” (April 1998): p.1, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Celestite / Celestine — care (light): a 2025 Minerals paper, summarising earlier work, notes that faded blue celestine may regain its original colour if kept in the dark; it is presented as possible, not guaranteed.
Minerals (Sitzia et al., 2025)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Celestite / Celestine — care (light): the Oxford Mineral Susceptibility Database records that celestine exposed to high light levels can lose its blue and turn white.
Mineral Sensitivity Database, Oxford (2021)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- K. Royce, “The Mineral Susceptibility Database” (MSD-2021.06), University of Oxford (2021), doi:10.5287/bodleian:r17kVJb7d: Section: main text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Celestite / Celestine — care (storage): The leaflet advises that light-sensitive specimens, a group it illustrates with blue celestite, be kept off display and stored in closed cabinets.
NPS Conserve O Gram 11/2
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- National Park Service, Conserve O Gram 11/2, “Storage Concerns for Geological Collections” (April 1998): p.1, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Common care questions and matching entries
Each question links to the matching entries on this page; whether they answer it fully, go by the entry wording.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
Durability and wearing
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Celestite / Celestine, the name register records "Celestine", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded.
Standard and listing namesThe Chinese formal name for Celestite / Celestine is listed in GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1, and the suggested listing name is "Celestite". Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is Celestine (SrSO4), and the trade name and synonym is Celestine. Names in four languagesThe four-language names cover Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Celestite / Celestine) and Japanese. For the GSJ (Japan) formal name, the entry's own Japanese name is shown, and the GSJ wording has not yet been verified by this site. Institution usageThe wording of GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A has not yet been verified by this site; the English name shown, Celestite / Celestine, comes from the entry itself and does not represent the position of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (1) | ||||
| CelestineEnglish | synonym | matched automatically | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- セレスタイト／天青石 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Chinese formal name
- 天青石 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1)
- Mineralogical name
- Celestine (SrSO4)
- Trade names and synonyms
- Celestine (synonym)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 天青石
- 繁體中文
- 天青石
- English
- Celestite / Celestine
- 日本語
- セレスタイト／天青石
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Sulfate minerals
- Identity tier
- Mineral species
- Mineral chemical class
- Sulfates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
What it is and how it's identified
Registered material facts for Celestite / Celestine: the formula is (Sr,Ba)SO4, with Sr exceeding Ba, and elements such as Pb, Ca and Fe may be present; the structure is crystalline, orthorhombic, with crystals commonly tabular, sometimes prismatic, or granular or fibrous aggregates, and also stalactitic or nodular aggregates. Mohs hardness is recorded as 3–4 under GB/T 16553—2017 and as 3–3.5 in the Celestine entry of the Handbook of Mineralogy, the cited source recording the material under another name for the same species; cleavage is perfect in two directions. Density is 3.87–4.3 g/cm³, optic character anisotropic, biaxial, positive, refractive index 1.619–1.637 and birefringence 0.018. In the untreated state, pleochroism is weak and varies with colour, lustre is vitreous, and fluorescence is usually none, sometimes weak. The UV-visible spectrum is not diagnostic; the mid-infrared region shows the characteristic infrared absorption bands of celestine.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Definition
Celestite / Celestine — composition (chemistry): (Sr,Ba) SO4 with Sr exceeding Ba; Pb, Ca, Fe and similar elements can be present.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Structure
Celestite / Celestine — structure (overall): crystalline
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — structure (crystal system): orthorhombic
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — structure (crystal habit): generally platy; sometimes columnar, granular or fibrous aggregates; may also form stalactitic or nodular aggregates.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Durability
Mohs hardness2 sources compared
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
Celestite / Celestine — Mohs hardness: 3–3.5
Handbook of Mineralogy
- Qualification
The cited source files this material under another name for the same species.
Source & check 2026-09-20
- Source
- Handbook of Mineralogy — Celestine (Mineral Data Publishing): p. 1, Physical Properties (locator checked 2026-09-20)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-20
Celestite / Celestine — Mohs hardness: 3–4
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Celestite / Celestine — cleavage: two directions of perfect cleavage
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — toughness: cleavage perfect; tenacity brittle
Handbook of Mineralogy
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Qualification
The cited source files this material under another name for the same species.
Source & check 2026-09-20
- Source
- Handbook of Mineralogy — Celestine (Mineral Data Publishing): p. 1, Physical Properties (locator checked 2026-09-20)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-20
Physical properties
Celestite / Celestine — density: 3.87–4.3 g/cm³
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Optical
Celestite / Celestine — optic character: biaxial, optically positive (anisotropic)
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — refractive index: 1.619–1.637
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — birefringence: 0.018
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — pleochroism: weak; it depends on the body colour.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — fluorescence (overall): generally none; sometimes weak
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — spectrum (UV-visible): non-characteristic
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — spectrum (infrared): Celestite's own diagnostic absorption bands appear in the mid-IR
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — magnification: gas-liquid inclusions, mineral inclusions, growth striations
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Celestite / Celestine — body colour: light blue, colorless, yellow, orange, green, etc.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- Qualification
In chapter 5 of GB/T 16553—2017, the colour entries of Euclase, Kornerupine, Zircon and other variety clauses also name blue or a bluish colour.
- General note
- colour alone is not identity
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quality factors
Celestite / Celestine — quality factor (lustre): vitreous
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.36 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
This material (RI / SG midpoints): 1.628 / 4.08; Closest values: 1Barite 1.641 / 4.45, 2Pyrope 1.728 / 3.9, 3Imperial Topaz 1.623 / 3.53, 4Tsavorite 1.74 / 3.9, 5Smithsonite 1.735 / 4.38
Show the full chart (330 registered materials)
Outside the full chart's range, drawn as triangles at the edge (RI / SG midpoints): Hematite 3.045/5.12, Synthetic Rutile 2.76/4.26, Rutile 2.753/4.23, Synthetic Moissanite 2.67/3.22
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Sulfate minerals | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Celestite / Celestine entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.