This edition of my ongoing series of blog posts about gem and mineral fact, fiction and lore, features bertrandite. Opalized flourite
Bertrandite, sometimes called tiffany stone or ice cream opalite, is beryllium silicate hydroxide, in everyday language you’d call it opalized fluorite. It is only recently that it has come on scene in the mainstream jewelry industry. Once you have seen it’s easy to see why it is gaining in popularity. Bertrandite does look like ice cream, blueberry. I don’t think I’d take a bite though; it’s an ore of beryllium.
I do not know the date of its discovery; however, it is not listed in my 1915 copy of “Dana’s Manual of Mineralogy”, the standard mineralogy text of its day. Scanty information is available on the internet.
Bertrandite’s hardness is about 4; which makes it unacceptable for use in rings but fine for pendants and earrings.
Lore
Said to be called tiffany stone because some stones look like the patterns in tiffany glass. Some think that it is a reference to Tiffany Co., the New York jewelry store.
Because of its recent (in historical terms) discovery one has to look to the minerals that combine to make bertrandite to better understand its metaphysical properties.
Bertrandite “. . . can assist one in conservatism in judgment, in generosity with respect to favour, and in stimulating the growth of appreciation” 1
A number of the references say that bertrandite is a stone for business and business success. Most agree that it has a beneficial effect on the third eye chakra. It is also said that bertrandite can boost the sex drive and enhance sexual experience.
1) A. Melody "Love is in the Earth- A Kaleidoscope of Crystals" pg. 79
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