Very rare mineral of the Zeolite Group.
Origin of name: named Pollux by the German mineralogist (Johann Friedrich) August Breithaupt because of it´s association with the mineral castorite (now: petalite). Later the name was changed to pollucite
Synonyms and trade names: none
Can be confused with: most other colourless gems
Localities: commercially most important is Bernic Lake in Manitoba, Canade where pollucite is mined for the production of caesium
Typelocality is San Piero in Campo, on the Italian island of Elba, where it was first discovered by August Breithaupt in 1846.
Other localities are in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Australia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Brazil and the USA.
Handling: pollucite is very brittle. We don´t know wheter it is suceptible to heat or acids