Variscite

Variscite is a rather rare, hydrated aluminium-phosphate of the seltenes, wasserhaltiges Aluminiumphosphat der Klasse „phosphates, arsenates and vanadates“ class.
Member of Variscite Group. The other members are minerals which are hardly known in the jewellery and gemstone community, namely kolbeckite, koninckite, malhmoodite, mansfieldite, metavariscite, parascorodite, phosphosiderite, scorodite, strengite and yanomamite.

Forms an isomorphous series with strengite.

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Origin of name: namd by German mineralogist August Breithaupt, who firstly described the mineral in 1837, after Variscia, the Latin name of the Vogtland area in Saxony, Germany, with the type locality, Messbach, a village which in 1994 became part of the city of Plauen.

Synonyms and trade names: lucinite, sphaerite, sometimes called variquoise in France

Can be confused with: a range of similarly coloured minerals like turquoise, chrysoprase, chrysocolla, hemimorphite, smithsonite, jade, serpentine or green quartz e.a.

Two variscites from Utah (left) and Nevada (right), USA

Localities: at the time of writing (2025) about 350 localities are known. However, with the exception of two American locations in Utah and Nevada, most deposits are rather small and not very productive. Noteworthy localities are in Canada, Germany, Spain, Poand, France, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Australia, China, Namibia, Mocambique, South Africa and many more

Handling: despite its relatively low hardness variscite is a popular ornamental stone, often used in silver jewellery instead of the much more expensive turquoise. Very sensitive to acids!

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