On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural inorganic gem materials · Mineral species · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Variscite
An IMA-approved green phosphate mineral species, often occurring as nodules or masses; it may be mistaken for Turquoise. 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 Variscite forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify VarisciteHow far lab testing can go and whether a synthetic exists
- Caring for and wearing VarisciteCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them; durability indicators and wearing advice
- Mohs hardness of VarisciteEach value with its source and check date
- Variscite in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Which of GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A have a name for it on record, and do those agree?
- Name origin and history of VarisciteWhere the name comes from
- Listing and disclosing VarisciteThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define VarisciteWhich clause defines it, each cross-checked
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
Variscite is an orthorhombic species, a hydrated aluminium phosphate of ideal composition AlPO4·2H2O that belongs to the variscite group. Characteristically it is laid down where phosphate-carrying waters meet aluminous rocks; on islands and within caves the phosphate is supplied instead through the breakdown of guano. The habit is normally fine-grained and massive, occurring as nodules, stalactites, crusts and veinlets.
Scope: Applies to the genesis and occurrence of natural variscite as a hydrated aluminium phosphate mineral species; does not cover synthetic, dyed or imitation materials.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Where it forms
Where phosphate-bearing waters contact aluminous rocks; on islands and in caves (phosphate from guano decomposition)
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Association (Little Green Monster mine, Utah, USA): crandallite, carbonate-fluorapatite, wardite, millisite, gordonite and others
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
How it forms, step by step
Aluminous rocks (or aluminium-bearing minerals) are exposed.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Phosphate-bearing solutions contact them (on islands and in caves the phosphate comes from guano decomposition).
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Hydrated aluminium phosphate precipitates at the contact, crystallising as variscite.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
It typically forms fine-grained massive, nodular, stalactitic or crust-like aggregates.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Link to appearance
Variscite is pale green, emerald-green or bluish green, may be colourless, occasionally pale brown or yellow, and rarely red; typically pale green to colourless in transmitted light, with white streak, vitreous to waxy lustre and hardness 4.5. Its green look is consistent with its hydrated aluminium-phosphate composition; the source names no specific chromophore.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Timescale
The source states no absolute geological timescale for variscite formation.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Supporting findings
Variscite is characteristically laid down where phosphate-carrying waters meet aluminous rocks; on islands and within caves the phosphate is supplied through the breakdown of guano.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes variscite's two natural formation pathways.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Variscite is associated with phosphate minerals such as crandallite, carbonate-fluorapatite, wardite and millisite.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes the association (exemplified by the Little Green Monster mine, Utah, USA).
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
Europe
- Messbach, near Oelsnitz, Vogtland, Saxony, GermanyHoM names Vogtland as the original source of the mineral (origin of the name); no type locality stated in HoM
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
North America
- Utahlite Hill, northwest of Lucin, Box Elder County, Utah, United StatesSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- Little Green Monster mine, Clay Canyon, west of Fairfield, Utah County, Utah, United StatesSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
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 how far testing can go on this page, the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Where the name comes from
Variscite's name harks back to Variscia, the former designation of Germany's Vogtland district, site of the mineral's earliest source.
Evidence grade BScope: The etymology explains the origin of a name only; it does not attest composition, locality, naturalness or treatment.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Other research findings
Variscite is an orthorhombic hydrated aluminium phosphate species with ideal composition AlPO4·2H2O, a member of the variscite group.
Evidence grade BScope: Species-level composition, crystal system and group.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Variscite is dimorphous with metavariscite and forms a series with strengite.
Evidence grade BScope: Concerns dimorphism and solid-solution series only.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- The source is a mineralogical data sheet and gives no absolute geological timescale for variscite formation.
- The source names no specific chromophore for variscite and does not address dyeing or imitation treatments; no such assertions are made here.
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
- Variscite
GB/T 16552—2017 5.1.1 b) · IMA Mineral List 2026-07 “Variscite”
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Related:Disclosure and cautions
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
Variscite is Variscite (IMA phosphate mineral species); use "Variscite" for listings, and disclose any known treatments.
Evidence
- GB/T · 5.1.1 b)
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Variscite" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Care and wear
Normal care for every gemstone (CIBJO Gemstone Book §6.1), in brief:
- Handle it gently.
- Store pieces apart when not worn, so they cannot scratch each other.
- Clean with warm soapy water and a soft brush.
- Use ultrasonic cleaners only with caution.
The §6.1 wording and the full list of §6.2 special-care letters cited on this page are on the general gem care page.
Care
Variscite — care (cleaning): Some stones are susceptible to damage from ultrasonic cleaning. Do not expose them to ultrasonic cleaning.
CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
CIBJO Gemstone Book §6.2:special-care code j
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-25
- Source
- CIBJO Blue Book — Official Gemstone Book (Coloured Stone Commission 2022) (CIBJO): §8 Annex C, Variscite, p.86; §6.2 j (locator checked 2026-09-25)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-25
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
CleaningVariscite must not be cleaned ultrasonically, in any treatment state; the source is the Variscite row of the CIBJO Gemstone Book (Official Gemstone Book, Coloured Stone Commission 2022). General careGeneral care applicable to all gemstones, and the full table of special-care letter codes in the CIBJO Gemstone Book, are in the general care part of the material entry index page.
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| Question | Matching entries |
|---|---|
| Can it go in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner? | care (cleaning) |
Durability and wearing
Numbers in curly braces, such as {111}, are crystallographic face symbols (Miller indices): each marks a set of crystal faces or cleavage planes. They are reproduced as written in the cited source.
Mohs hardness
4.5
Cleavage
{010} good; {001} poor
Fracture
Uneven to splintery; conchoidal when glassy
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Standard and listing namesThe mineral/material name for Variscite is not listed in Annex A of the national standard and can be used directly, based on GB/T 16552—2017; the suggested listing name is Variscite. Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is Variscite, an IMA phosphate mineral species. Names in four languagesNames are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Variscite) and Japanese, and the GSJ (Japan) formal name is a different Japanese form. Institution usageOn authority wording, CIBJO lists Variscite (CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024); the FTC text contains no wording for Variscite (checked); GIA and Gem-A are unchecked. Bodies without a recorded wording show the English name Variscite, which does not represent their position.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- バリシア石
- Mineral / material name (not in GB/T 16552 Annex A; usable directly)
- 磷铝石 (GB/T 16552—2017 §5.1.1 b))
- Mineralogical name
- Variscite (IMA phosphate mineral species)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 磷铝石
- 繁體中文
- 磷鋁石
- English
- Variscite
- 日本語
- バリスサイト／リンアルミ石
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Phosphate minerals
- Identity tier
- Mineral species
- Mineral chemical class
- Phosphates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
What it is and how it's identified
Registered material and identification facts for Variscite: its nomenclature status is IMA status A, approved by the IMA (a mineral species accepted after the IMA was set up in 1958); its composition (phase) is variscite. Optically, Variscite is translucent to opaque, with a body colour of light to medium yellowish to bluish green, often mottled or veined with a brown to yellow matrix; the body colour is registered for the untreated state. The note attached to the register points out that in Chapter 7 of CIBJO, the colour descriptions of entries such as chrome tourmaline, kornerupine and chrysoberyl also mention green or greenish colours.
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
Variscite — nomenclature status: IMA status A: approved (accepted by the IMA after it was set up in 1958).
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Variscite — composition (phase): variscite
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Optical
Variscite — transparency: translucent to opaque.
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Variscite — body colour: Light to medium yellowish green to bluish green, often mottled or veined with brown to yellow matrix.
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Qualification
In chapter 7 of the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book, the colour descriptions of Chrome Tourmaline, Kornerupine, Chrysoberyl and other entries also name green or a greenish colour.
- General note
- colour alone is not identity
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Testing and market
The tests the CIBJO laboratory protocol requires for this material, and what each method means, are in the protocol table on the laboratory testing page: §6.1.90.
How far testing can go
Variscite — synthetic counterpart on the market: No synthetic counterpart of this material is commercially available
CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Clause-level definitions
Variscite has a direct definition in the Variscite entry of the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024, stating mineral species variscite and IMA status A, with the CIBJO wording quoted in full under Clause-level definitions on this page; the cross-check shows it is defined directly by CIBJO, and no identically named English entry was found in the GB/T annex. Variscite is likewise listed under Variscite in the IMA Mineral List, cross-checked against the RRUFF/IMA master mineral list (public domain data).
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| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variscite | 7.2.1.255 | Light to medium yellowish green to bluish green, often mottled or veined with brown to yellow matrix; translucent to opaque | Defined directly by CIBJO; no identically named English entry was found in this edition of the GB/T annex. |
| Variscite | IMA Mineral List entry | Variscite Al(PO4)(H2O)2 A 1967 s.p. | Cross-checked against the RRUFF/IMA master mineral list (public domain data). |
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. Gemmological Laboratories Book (Blue Book), Gemmological Commission 2024-1.
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. The Gemstone Book (Blue Book), 2022.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- RRUFF Project, in partnership with the IMA – International Mineralogical Association. IMA Mineral List.
- Geological Survey of Japan, AIST (Japan). Museum mineral specimens, browse by classification.
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.
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| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Phosphate minerals | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Variscite 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; clause-level definitions also carry a cross-check result. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.