Thulite

Thulite is the pink to pinkish red, manganese-bearing variety of the mineral zoisite. It is usually an opaque, massive stone, often mottled and veined with white quartz or calcite. Its type locality is Sauland in the Telemark region of Norway, and it takes its name from Thule, the legendary land that ancient writers placed at the far north of the world and that was identified with Norway. It is used as an ornamental stone for cabochons, beads and carvings; Britannica calls it the national stone of Norway.

Jewellery: It is cut into cabochons and beads for pendants, bracelets and earrings. Carving and ornaments: Its massive texture suits small sculptures, ornaments and stone carvings; it was also used for the Oscar Wilde statue in Dublin. Collecting: Pieces found together with piemontite and quartz, with dark red specks, are kept in collections.

It has a hardness of 6–6.5 on the Mohs scale. It can scratch glass; a steel knife scratches it only with difficulty. Its specific gravity is 3.1–3.38 g/cm³.

Its best-known localities: Øvstebø (near Kleppen), Sauland, Hjartdal, Telemark, Norway; Lom, Innlandet, Norway; Tvedestrand, Agder, Norway; Leksvik, Trøndelag, Norway; Mitchell County, North Carolina, USA.

It is an opaque, pink to pinkish red stone, often mottled with white specks and streaks of quartz or calcite. Thin slices may look translucent when lit from behind. Its hardness is 6–6.5 and its specific gravity about 3.1–3.4; the piemontite quartzite sold under the same name stays below 3.0. It resembles rhodonite but lacks the black streaks common in rhodonite. It is harder than rhodochrosite and does not show its banding. Piemontite-muscovite quartzite: some of the stone sold as “thulite” from the Lom area of Norway is this rock. It shows blood-red specks in a nearly colourless quartzite and a glittering surface caused by mica; it is also sold as “red aventurine quartz”.

On the “street to diamond” value ladder it sits on step 5 of nine: Ornamental stone. The value of thulite depends most on a lively, even colour: a saturated, evenly spread pink is the most sought after; white specks and veins give the stone character but lower its value when there are too many. Because it is an opaque ornamental stone, buyers look at the size of the piece, the quality of the polish and the workmanship rather than carats. Telling genuine Norwegian thulite from the piemontite quartzite sold under the same name also matters; measuring the density is a useful guide.

Today crystal-therapy websites and stone sellers claim that thulite is linked to the heart chakra, boosts self-confidence and the courage to speak in public, brings joy and passion, and supports love and understanding in relationships. The same circles also claim that thulite helps people break bad habits and fight addiction. There is no scientific evidence that thulite boosts self-confidence, joy or love, or helps in fighting addiction; for addiction, see a doctor or a specialist support service. The stone's pink colour comes only from the manganese in its crystals. This section reports beliefs; it is not health information. There is no scientific evidence for these claims and no stone replaces medical treatment.