Prehnite Jewelry
A gooseberry-green gemstone with a soft, misty inner glow
Unearthed Gemstones Prehnite Jewelry
Click the photos for a closer look of the jewelry pieces
Hardness
6 - 6.5 (Medium): Wear with care; This gemstone can dull over time.
Toughness
Fair (Needs care — Vulnerable to knocks and sharp blows)
Mineral Family
Prehnite
Transparency
Translucent
Crystal System
Orthorhombic
Lustre
Vitreous
What Is Prehnite?
Prehnite is a calcium aluminium silicate with a soft, glowing green best described as gooseberry or sea-foam. It has a gentle inner mistiness that jewellers love, and many stones carry fine black needles of epidote or tourmaline that add character. It holds a small place in history as the first mineral ever named after a person, the Dutch colonel Hendrik von Prehn, who brought it back from South Africa in the 1780s. Today the best gem material comes from Mali and Australia.
Is Prehnite Durable Enough for Everyday Jewelry?
Prehnite sits at 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, firm enough for regular wear with a little common sense: it prefers pendants and earrings and forgiving settings for rings. It is cut both as glowing cabochons and, when clean, as faceted stones with a soft, velvety look.
How to Care for Prehnite Jewelry
Keep it away from strong heat and harsh chemicals, and clean it with warm, soapy water.
How to Tell If Prehnite Is Real
Its misty translucence is quite distinctive, which makes convincing imitations thankfully uncommon.
Gemstones Similar to Prehnite
Other beautiful green gems, though prehnite's misty green glow sets it apart.
