Pargasite Gemstone: Properties, Meanings, Value & More

Pargasite is an amphibole mineral that’s usually found in shades of green to brown. Some pargasite gemstones are vibrant emerald-green.

Is pargasite rare? As a mineral, no — pargasite is a pretty common mineral. However, facetable pargasite crystals are not as common, so pargasite gemstones are somewhat rare.

Want to learn more? Then you’re in luck! Today, we’ll fill you in on all of pargasite’s properties as a mineral and gemstone, along with its history, prices, healing powers, and more!

Pictured above: Deep green, single, doubly-terminated pargasite crystal with well-defined form on white marble matrix | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

About Pargasite Stone

Pargasite is a semi-precious gemstone that’s part of the broad amphibole mineral family. Other names for pargasite include:

• Pargasitic hornblende (obsolete)

• Iron-bearing pargasite

• Sodic amphibole

The term “hornblende” is used for a series of minerals, generally dark, aluminum-bearing amphibole minerals. Hornblende and pargasite minerals are similar, and geologists used to use the term “pargasitic hornblende” for pargasite.

Outside of individual pargasite gems, you’ll also see pargasite present as black or dark green veining in some anyolite (ruby zoisite) stones.

Pargasite Mineral Uses

Some natural pargasite minerals are useful for geological research because they store water in Earth’s upper mantle.

Deeper underground, pargasite’s presence in peridotites (which composes a lot of Earth’s mantle) signals that these peridotites underwent fluid metasomatism, an alteration like metamorphism that happens when the rock’s chemical composition changes.

Scientists have created synthetic pargasite for research into its mineralogy, but no synthetic pargasites have been created for use as gemstones.

Pictured above: Small green pargasite crystals with red spinel on white matrix 

Pargasite Specifications & Characteristics

What is the formula for the mineral pargasite? As a complex inosilicate containing calcium, aluminum, magnesium, sodium, and hydroxide, the pargasite formula is usually written as NaCa2(Mg4Al)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2.

There are many common impurities as well: iron, titanium, chromium, manganese, potassium, fluorine, and phosphorus.

Pargasite is in the calcium amphibole mineral group, specifically the pargasite root name group. (More info on the other group members in the next section!) Notably, the mineral oxo-pargasite is another amphibole subgroup.

Many minerals in the pargasite and amphibole groups also form series with pargasite:

• Ferro-pargasite: Ferric iron endmember

• Edenite: Very similar endmember, but slightly different formula - NaCa2Mg5(Si7Al)O22(OH)2

• Magnesio-hastingsite: Ferrous iron endmember but similar formula - NaCa2(Mg4Fe3+)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2; Also in broader series with actinolite, pargasite, and magnesio-hornblende

• Fluoro-pargasite: Fluorine endmember

In terms of crystal habits, pargasite can form as tabular or prismatic, stout crystals. It also occurs as compact or granular masses. Simple and lamellar twinning is common.

Pargasite properties listed:

• Mohs hardness: 5-6

• Color: Shades of brown, grayish-black, blue-green, shades of green

• Crystal structure: Monoclinic

• Luster: Vitreous (glassy)

• Transparency: Translucent to transparent

• Refractive index: 1.613-1.670

• Density: 3.04-3.26

• Cleavage: Perfect on {110}, partings on {100} & {001}

• Fracture: Uneven/irregular or splintery

• Streak: Light grayish-green or brownish-green

• Luminescence: Usually none; Sometimes weak yellow, yellow-green, or green in SW-UV

• Pleochroism: Present, usually moderate to strong; Brown pargasites - colorless to yellow to brown; Green pargasites - greenish-yellow to green to greenish-blue

• Birefringence: 0.020-0.022; Other varieties vary from 0.015 to 0.025

• Dispersion: Weak

Pictured above: Chromio-pargasite exhibited at the Mining Museum of Akita University | Image credit: 掬茶, CC-BY-SA-4.0

Types of Pargasite

Besides pargasite, the other members of the pargasite root name group are defined by having an additional element in their formula:

• Chromio-pargasite: Chromium-bearing

• Ferro-chloro-pargasite: Ferric iron & chlorine-bearing; Note: Not yet approved mineral species

• Ferro-pargasite: Ferric iron-bearing

• Fluoro-pargasite: Fluorine-bearing

• Mangani-pargasite: Manganese-bearing

• Potassic-chloro-pargasite: Potassium & chlorine-bearing

• Potassic-ferro-pargasite: Potassium & ferric iron-bearing

• Potassic-fluoro-pargasite: Potassium & fluorine-bearing

• Potassic pargasite: Potassium-bearing

• Vanadio-pargasite: Vanadium-bearing

Another variety of pargasite is carinthine, a brown to brownish-green variety first discovered in Carinthia, Austria but also found in Germany. Carinthine is strongly pleochroic. Other names for carinthine are keraphyllite, kérophyllite, and sometimes saualpite.

Pictured above: Unheated (green) pargasite crystal with pyrite on matrix

Pargasite History

Pargasite was first described by the Governor General of Finland and Baltic-German Russian military officer, Count Fabian Gotthard von Steinheil, in 1814. The specimens came from Pargas, Finland, so Steinheil named the stone “pargasite” after this location.

Steinheil’s description was pretty basic, though. A more in-depth description — including an impressively detailed list of its physical, optical, chemical, and crystallographic properties — came from Finnish mineralogist Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld in 1821.

French mineralogist René Just Haüy first used the term “amphibole” in 1801 for the minerals tremolite, actinolite, and hornblende.

Among amphibole minerals, pargasite was one of the first amphiboles described, and one of the few that’s still considered valid.

In the 1990s, pargasite entered the wider gemstone sphere when attractive, facetable pargasite crystals emerged from Myanmar and Pakistan.

On the spiritual side, what are the metaphysical properties of pargasite?

Pargasite Healing Properties

As a commonly green healing stone, pargasite’s meaning reflects the renewing and hopeful properties of other green gemstones. You can use this stone as a root or heart chakra stone.

What about pargasite’s metaphysical properties physically and emotionally?

Physical Healing

Physically, pargasite is believed to treat issues related to:

• Breathing / respiratory system

• Heart & blood circulation

• Throat problems

Emotional Healing

Emotionally, pargasite is all about love and healing. Crystal healers recommend pargasite for healing emotional wounds, helping you start fresh with renewed positivity. It’s also said to promote forgiveness, acceptance, and bravery.

Pictured above: Sharp deep green pargasite crystal on white matrix | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Pargasite Gemstone Properties

Besides rarity, pargasite gemstone value depends on color, cut, clarity, and carat weight.

Color

Pargasite is usually a shade of brown or green, often pale shades. It can also be grayish-black. In thin sections, pargasite can be very pale brown or blue-green.

The color and pleochroic colors vary among other minerals in the pargasite group:

• Chromio-pargasite: Light green to emerald-green; Yellowish-green to bluish-green pleochroism

• Ferro-pargasite: Greenish-brown to dark green or black; Non-pleochroic but moderate dispersion (colorful sparkle)

• Fluoro-pargasite: Black; Weak pleochroism in colorless or light brown to light brown to brown

• Mangani-pargasite: Red or reddish-brown; Weak pleochroism in light reddish-brown to light brownish-red

• Potassic-chloro-pargasite: Black; Light gray to gray to dark green pleochroism

• Potassic-ferro pargasite: Black; Light green to bluish-green pleochroism

• Potassic-fluoro-pargasite: Brownish-black; Weak pleochroism in colorless or very light gray to very light gray or colorless

• Potassic pargasite: Black; Dark olive-green to olive-green to light grayish-green pleochroism

• Vanadio-pargasite: Bright green or emerald-green; Non-pleochroic

Typically, the most valuable paragasites have a vibrant emerald-green color, which is usually caused by vanadium. Specimens like this from Pakistan are sometimes called “Hunza emeralds.”

Cut

Pargasite can be faceted, with oval, round, and pear shapes being common. Most cabochons are composed of pargasite in other minerals like quartzite. Similarly, carvings are often green pargasite in white marble.

Most pargasites for sale are rough specimens, often green pargasite crystals on a white matrix of calcite or marble.

Clarity & Transparency

Clarity describes the degree of visible inclusions in a gem, which can decrease its transparency and value.

Transparent amphibole crystals in general are rare. Though pargasite is commonly translucent to transparent, sizable transparent crystals are somewhat rare and more valuable.

Inclusions found in pargasite may include:

• Fractures

• Needles

• Two-phase inclusions

• Three-phase inclusions (sometimes with tension fractures)

• Apatite

• Sulfides

Pargasite is also found as an inclusion in other gems, particularly corundum stones like Mozambique rubies and yellow sapphires. Most notably, pargasite inclusions in blue sapphires often characterize these stones as Kashmir sapphires.

Some titanites also have pargasite inclusions.

Carat Weight & Size

Although some Canadian pargasite crystals have been cut into 2- to 3-carat faceted gems, most pargasite gems are 0.5-carat or smaller.

Pictured above: Ferropargasite from Cala Mines, Cala (Huelva, Spain) (translated from Spanish) | Image credit: Luis Fernández García, CC-BY-SA-4.0

Pargasite Formation & Sources

Pargasite forms in various igneous and metamorphic rocks. For the latter, pargasite usually forms in high-grade, aluminum-rich metamorphic rocks.

The mineral is common in metamorphosed silicon-rich skarns, schists, amphibolites, eclogites, and andesitic volcanic rocks. You’ll typically find the largest, most distinct pargasite crystals in marbles and calcium silicate rocks.

Mining Locations

The top sources for facetable pargasite crystals are Myanmar, Pakistan, and Canada.

Other notable pargasite sources are:

• Afghanistan

• Austria

• Finland

• Italy

• Russia

• Scotland, UK

• Sweden

• Venezuela

• Vietnam

• USA (California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania)

Pictured above: Deep green pargasite crystal on white marble matrix | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Pargasite Price & Value

Given their rarity, faceted pargasite gemstones are usually the priciest option. They range from around $30 to $550 per carat, with most around $150 to $200 per carat.

You can find pargasite in quartzsite cabochons for around $2 per carat or about $30-$40 each. Carvings of pargasite in marble cost around $60 each.

Rough pargasite crystals vary widely in price. Most are green pargasite on a white matrix, which go for around $15 up to $3,250. Pargasite specimens with ruby vary from about $20 to $130.

Individual pargasite crystals are generally around $20 to $100. These are usually light green or light brown.

Pargasite Care and Maintenance

Luckily, gemstone care for pargasite is pretty easy. You may need to be gentle handling it, given its perfect cleavage, and use protective settings for pargasite jewelry.

You can clean pargasite with warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush.

Store separately from other gems to avoid scratches.

Promote Positivity with Pargasite!

Pargasite may be a common mineral, but it shines as a rare gemstone. Its earthy green and brown hues are the perfect addition to any outfit for space for promoting grounding and positivity!

Buy pargasite gemstones today!