Prehnite: Delving into the Allure of this Unique Gemstone

Prehnite gemstones are milky pear-green silicate minerals beloved by collectors. These gems can be transparent but are usually translucent with a misty, celestial appearance. 

Is prehnite a natural gemstone? Absolutely! Prehnite stones crystallize like other gems in a variety of shapes. You’ll often see mixtures of prehnite with epidote or black tourmaline, too! 

You may not see prehnite in mass-market jewelry, which begs the question: is prehnite a rare stone? Yes and no. Prehnite minerals are common, but gem-quality specimens are fairly rare because deposits tend to run out quickly.

Today, we’ll give you the low-down on prehnite meaning, benefits, value, and more! 

About Prehnite Stone

First, is prehnite a semi-precious stone? Yes, prehnite is semi-precious. Other names for prehnite include edelite, prehnitoid, chiltonite, or even Karoo stone. 

You may also see trade names like “New Jade” or “grape jade.” But is prehnite jade? No, prehnite isn’t jade. However, its resemblance to jade has led some stores to market it as an imitation called “new jade.” Plus, raw prehnite has a nodule shape similar to grapes, leading to the name “grape jade” in China. 

Some sellers call prehnite “chrysolite of sage.” While this name is inaccurate, it does reflect prehnite’s potential as an affordable alternative to the August birthstone, chrysolite (peridot). 

Astrologically, prehnite can bring luck as a zodiac stone for Libra, Scorpio, and Capricorn!

Prehnite Specifications & Characteristics

Prehnite minerals are a type of silicate called inosilicates, with a composition of silica, calcium, and aluminum, and a bit of iron.

Most prehnite gemstones have beautiful pearlescence, a type of iridescence with mostly white light reflected. The stones also have the potential for chatoyancy, or the “cat’s eye” effect.

Does prehnite glow in the dark? Some prehnites are fluorescent. However, all prehnites glow under sunlight!  

Check out all of prehnite’s properties below:

• Color: Green, colorless, gray, white, yellow-green, brown-green, or blue-green; Rarely orange, pink, brown, or yellow

• Mohs hardness: 6-6.5

• Crystal structure: Orthorhombic

• Luster: Vitreous to pearly; Pearly on cleavage [001]

• Transparency: Translucent to transparent 

• Refractive index: 1.61-1.67

• Density: 2.80-3.00

• Cleavage: Distinct in 1 direction; Distinct on [001], Poor on [110]

• Fracture: Irregular/Uneven

• Streak: Very weak yellowish-white

• Luminescence: Sometimes fluorescence; Orange-pink or bluish-white in SW-UV, yellow in LW-UV; X-ray colors

For the everyday gem buyer, how do you know if prehnite is real? 

Fake vs. Real Types of Prehnite

Prehnite gets mistaken for other pale green gems frequently. However, prehnite gems show a range of green hues. Plus, it isn’t always green!

Can prehnite be pink? Yep! The pink variety of prehnite is Patricianite, which often has chlorite and native copper mixed in. Though rare, the stone can also come in yellow, blue, and even orange hues.

Common gemstones confused with prehnite are serpentine, apatite, and jade. So, how do you know if prehnite is real? 

Raw prehnite has rigid surfaces with curved pre-crystals at its edges. Distinct crystallizing is rare, only appearing as tiny, prismatic crystals.

Color-wise, the stone’s surface has irregular white or pale green veins. Some may have dark veins if darker-colored mineral inclusions are present. In the sunlight, you should see the color with a pearlescent shine.

Now that you know how to identify it, what is the meaning of the stone prehnite?

Prehnite Meaning & History

Prehnite’s name, chosen by German geologist Abraham Gottlieb Werner in 1788, honors Dutch Colonel Hendrik von Prehn. Von Prehn was an 18th-century commander and naturalist who briefly governed the Cape of Good Hope and brought the first prehnite stones from South Africa to Europe.

While it’s common for gemstones to be named after people — like kunzite or morganite — prehnite set the standard as one of the first gems to be named after someone! Not only that, but prehnite was also the first South African mineral ever described — long before the nation’s current reputation as a top gemstone locale.

Before von Prehn’s discovery, prehnite’s spiritual meaning was already significant in South Africa. 

For centuries, South African shamans believed the crystal vibrated between visible and invisible planes, connecting physical and spiritual realms. Therefore, prehnite was a sacred divination tool. 

Aboriginal peoples in Australia believed prehnite crystals placed in the sun could hold its energy. They thought the stone’s glow at night could provide warmth and protection. 

That said, is prehnite protective? Many believe so, claiming the crystal protects your body, mind, and spirit. Prehnite is also called the “Stone of Dreaming.” Historically, various societies used prehnite for dream recall, lucid dreaming, and understanding one’s self better through dream interpretation.

Speaking of, what is prehnite good for?

Prehnite Healing Properties

The coloring and vibrations present in gemstones can make them powerful healing stones. Like other green gemstones, prehnite can encourage self-love, connection to nature, and spiritual growth. 

Combining gems can bring even more powerful healing. Crystal healers harness greater spiritual awareness when using prehnite with black tourmaline, meaning the combination is great for tarot readings and precognition. 

Epidote amplifies other crystals’ powers, so prehnite with epidote’s meaning is one of enhanced foresight and connection to higher beings.

Generally, prehnite may increase self-awareness, memory recall, and resilience.

Now let’s take a closer look at prehnite’s specific physical, emotional, and spiritual healing abilities!

Physical Healing

Prehnite crystals are said to stimulate your metabolism, cleanse toxins from the body, and improve your immune system. Other purported abilities include strengthening bones, healing digestive issues, and lowering stress hormones.

Additionally, those who suffer from insomnia or night terrors can use prehnite to sleep more peacefully.

Emotional Healing

Prehnite can help if your mind feels cluttered with painful emotions or memories. In a literal sense, prehnite crystal is said to help you sort through items that are hard to let go of. The emotional healing benefits are similar, supporting you as you navigate deep emotional pain and release the past. 

Additionally, crystal healers use prehnite for strengthening their intuition and creating a peaceful awareness between the internal self and the external world.

Chakra Healing

Chakra healing is the ancient practice of balancing your seven chakras, energy centers that align with our wellbeing. Prehnite chakra stones can balance the heart chakra and solar plexus chakra.

Your heart chakra governs giving and receiving love. If you feel detached from others, emotionally numb, or resentful, you may have a blocked heart chakra. 

The solar plexus chakra also governs emotions, but those related to self-worth and your sense of purpose. When your solar plexus is blocked, self-doubt and aimlessness can arise. 

Prehnite crystals can open both chakras, aligning them to help you claim your purpose, then pursue it with a passionate heart. 

If your heart leads you to prehnite gemstones, you can be confident in your purchase by knowing which value factors to look for!

Prehnite Gemstone Properties

A gemstone’s objective value comes down to its gemstone properties, which experts examine and report. However, you don’t have to be an expert to learn what to look for in a particular gemstone. Prehnite’s value relies on its color, cut, and clarity. 

Color

Prehnite is usually light green, but green shades can range from pale chartreuse or kiwi to even olive green at times. Among other shades, prehnite stones can also be pink or combined with other minerals to be hazy peppermint-green. As of 2000, we also know orange prehnite exists!

Most prehnites will have uneven pale green or white color veins blending into each other. The highest-valued shade of green is usually the most saturated, though many buyers prefer the standard milky, pale green hue.

The rarest prehnite colors are orange, pink, blue, white, and colorless, and many collectors pay high prices for these hues.

Cut

Prehnite is usually unfaceted, but faceted prehnite is more common than you’d expect. You’ll usually see standard faceted cuts like round, oval, or cushion (square with rounded corners). Most faceted prehnite gems are translucent, though transparent ones are more valuable. 

Prehnite tumbled stones, cabochons, and beads are the most common cuts. However, a cabochon cut is necessary to properly display a “cat’s eye,” though stones with this effect are rare. Prehnite carvings are also popular, especially in home decor.

Clarity

A gemstone’s clarity grade depends on the inclusions visible in the stone. Prehnite’s colored gemstone clarity grade is Type III, meaning they almost always have eye-visible inclusions, even in high-quality specimens.

While inclusions usually lower a gemstone’s value, that isn’t always the case for prehnite. The rare and sought-after cat’s eye prehnite stones form because of radial-fibrous inclusions! Outside of chatoyancy, however, the highest-valued prehnite is the clearest (with minimal inclusions).

While prehnite isn’t often treated, jewelers may apply a lubricant to improve the gem’s luster. 

Before it gets to the jeweler’s hands, how does prehnite form? 

Prehnite Formation & Sources

Similar to zeolites, prehnite stones form when hydrothermal solutions induce low-grade metamorphism. Metamorphism happens when conditions like temperature and pressure change the mineral makeup and structure of rocks.

Low-grade metamorphism occurs in 200-300°C, low-pressure environments. Low-grade metamorphic rocks have a lot of hydrous minerals. Miners usually find prehnite in cavities or veins of volcanic rocks rich in magnesium and iron (called “mafic” rocks).

In these rocks, prehnite is often a secondary mineral. This means the mineral wasn’t there to begin with; instead, it transformed from a mineral present before the metamorphism.

Prehnite’s rarer colors result from other minerals present during its formation. For instance, tiny copper inclusions spread throughout create pink prehnite. The rare orange or orange-red prehnite discovered in South Africa’s Kalahari Manganese Fields results from high levels of manganese.

One interesting shape for prehnite crystals is “fingers,” or elongated crystals rounded at the top. Another shape is the half-spherical formation with a crystal arc sticking out from the center, dubbed the “Roman Helmet.”

Once it forms, where is prehnite found?

Mining Locations

The primary source of prehnite is the Northern Territory of Western Australia, but South Africa remains a significant source, too. 

You can also find prehnite in: 

• Austria

• Canada

• China

• France

• Germany

• India

• Mali

• Morocco

• Namibia

• Scotland

• USA (Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia)

Some locales have rarer prehnite varieties, like orange prehnite from South Africa, transparent prehnite from Canada, and pink prehnite near Lake Superior, USA.

Sources aside, let’s address the main question on most buyers’ minds: is prehnite expensive? 

Prehnite Price & Value

Prehnite value shows a wide range of prices. Faceted prehnite gemstones can be as low as $7 per carat to as high as $127 per carat. 

So, why is prehnite so expensive? Faceted prehnite can be costly because high-quality material for faceting is somewhat rare and small. Plus, sourcing the stones is more specialized. However, prehnite gemstones at wholesale prices are usually around $8-$20 per carat.

Unfaceted cuts bring much lower prices. Prehnite cabochons with low saturation are $0.25-$1 per carat, while better-colored cabochons are usually $2-$11 per carat.

Prehnite rough and raw specimens are the most affordable, from $0.14-$0.27 per carat.

Prehnite Care and Maintenance

Prehnite’s mid-range hardness and good cleavage warrant the stone a little extra care. Look for prehnite jewelry with protective settings and minimal chance of hard blows, like earrings or pendants.

Can prehnite get wet? Generally, prehnite shouldn’t go in water because of its aluminum content. Also avoid harsh chemicals, hairsprays, and perfumes coming in contact with prehnite.

To clean prehnite without water, gently scrub it with a soft brush or cloth. Store the stone in an airtight container, away from heat, so bacteria or humidity doesn’t damage the stone.

Pick Your Pear-Green Prehnite Today!

Now that you know all about this underrated gem, are you ready to rock a gorgeous prehnite bracelet or necklace? How about raising your spiritual awareness? Prehnite can do it all!

Though it’s widely known as a collector’s stone, prehnite’s soothing hues and dreamy haze have the potential to take your fashion and healing game to the next level. 

Buy prehnite gemstones today!

Prehnite