Serandite Gemstone: Properties, Meanings, Value & More

Serandite is a salmon-pink mineral mostly known among mineral and gemstone collectors. In fact, most serandites are used by collectors or crystal healers.

The mineral itself is pretty rare, and gem-quality specimens only come from one location. The gem has been faceted, but almost all cut serandites are in collections.

Want to learn more? Follow along as we go over all of serandite’s properties, history, prices, meanings, and more!

Pictured above: Salmon-pink serandite thumbnail crystal | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

About Serandite Stone

Serandite is a rare pink to orange semi-precious gemstone. It doesn’t have many monikers, but it used to be spelled “sérandite.”

Astrologically, orange serandites are beneficial for Libras, while pink serandites are beneficial for Scorpios.

Industrial serandite mineral uses aren’t vast, given the stone’s rarity. However, scientists have created synthetic serandite for research into its magnetic properties, unusual calcium and manganese distribution, and oddly asymmetric hydrogen bonds.

Serandite Specifications & Characteristics

As a sodium magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral, serandite’s formula is written as NaMn2+2Si3O8(OH). Common impurities are aluminum, iron, magnesium, potassium, and water.

The formula is also sometimes written as Na(Mn,Ca)2Si3O8(OH) to account for common calcium impurities. Calcium-bearing serandite is the only “variety” of this stone.

The calcium impurities have to do with serandite forming a series with pectolite. In this series, serandite is the manganese end member and pectolite is the calcium end member.

Intermediate minerals in the series are called schizolite, and many light pink schizolite stones are misidentified as serandite. Refractive indices will increase with higher manganese content (toward the serandite end).

These minerals are all in the wollastonite group. Other group members include bustamite, tanohataite (serandite’s lithium analogue) and of course, wollastonite.

Serandite crystals can be prismatic, blocky, bladed, elongated, or tabular and flattened. They can also be acicular (needle-like). The mineral also forms as masses or radiating aggregates. Contact twinning sometimes happens on {110}.

Serandite properties listed:

• Mohs hardness: 5-5.5

• Color: Rose red, red, pink, salmon-red, pinkish-orange, deep orange, brown, black, or colorless

• Crystal structure: Triclinic

• Luster: Vitreous, sub-vitreous, or greasy, pearly on cleavage; Fibrous aggregates - dull to silky

• Transparency: Translucent to transparent

• Refractive index: 1.660-1.708

• Density: 3.32-3.34

• Cleavage: Perfect on {001} and {100}

• Fracture: Irregular/uneven or splintery

• Streak: White

• Luminescence: None

• Pleochroism: Sometimes present & moderate; Pink to orange

• Birefringence: 0.028-0.045; Usually 0.035

• Dispersion: Moderate

• Optical phenomena: Very rarely asterism

Pictured above: Exceptional serandite crystal cluster with high luster and deep, intense salmon-pink color | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Serandite Gemstone Meaning & History

Serandite is widely known as the “Stone of Harmony,” believed to represent acceptance, love, and connection. Many recommend keeping it in your living room to promote harmonious family relationships, especially in potentially tense times like holiday seasons.

Other interpretations of serandite’s meaning is that it symbolizes understanding, serenity, and friendship.

Pink serandite stones are associated with Venus (or Aphrodite), the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Orange serandite crystals may be tied to Bacchus (or Dionysus), the god of wine, celebration, and vegetation.

Serandite specifically has been used by some spiritual folks for praising Hestia, the Greek goddess of the hearth, home, and hospitality.

Serandite Discovery

French mineralogist and geologist Antoine François Alfred Lacroix (often shortened to Antoine Lacroix or Alfred Lacroix) first discovered serandite and published a description of the stone in 1931.

He found the mineral as small, bladed, peach blossom pink crystals on Rouma Island in Guinea. This island is also the type locality of roumaite and villiaumite.

During the discovery, Lacroix was guided by West African mineral collector and Rouma Island lighthouse keeper J.M. Sérand, whom Lacroix honored by naming the mineral “sérandite.” (The International Mineralogical Association changed the spelling to serandite in 2015).

By 1932, Austrian mineralogist Karl Ludwig Felix Machatschki found that serandite formed a series with pectolite. American mineralogist Martin Alfred Peacock and Japanese chemist Jun Ito expanded the series to include schizolite in 1935 and 1939, respectively.

Finding Serandite in Canada

Canadian mineral dealer and collector Frank Melanson first found orange-pink serandite crystals in the Mont Saint-Hilaire quarries of Quebec, Canada, in the early 1960s.

Melanson took the specimen to Canadian mineralogist Dr. Guy Perrault, who identified it as serandite and published the finding with his colleague Jean Boissonnault in 1964.

Other serandite sources would be discovered from the 1970s to 1990s — like deposits in Australia, Japan, and Brazil — but the Canadian find was most significant.

Not only are serandites from this locale the best worldwide, but this quarry is still the only source of gem-quality serandite crystals. These crystals would be turned into the first polished serandite cabochon and the first faceted serandite.

Pictured above: Pink serandite crystal specimen with leucophanite, albite, and polythionite | Image credit: Géry PARENT, CC-BY-SA-3.0

Serandite Gemstone Healing Properties

As a pink to orange healing stone, serandite has both the nourishing properties of pink gemstones and the joyful, creativity-boosting properties of orange gemstones.

What are the benefits of serandite physically?

Physical Healing

Physically, serandite is believed to help your body absorb calcium and magnesium, along with balancing sodium levels.

Emotional Healing

According to crystal healers, emotional serandite gemstone benefits include:

• Easing negative feelings (e.g. anger, jealousy, frustration, resentment)

• Balancing emotions

• Promoting acceptance of yourself and others

• Facilitating understanding of your purpose

Chakra Healing

Chakra healing involves restoring open energy flow to blocked energy centers (chakras). Serandite is a chakra stone for the base (root) and sacral chakras.

The base chakra governs foundational needs like stability and security. The sacral chakra deals with emotional sides of your identity like creativity and intimacy.

When serandite aligns these chakras, you can feel confident in who you are to navigate the world and relationships emotionally.

Pictured above: Pink serandite crystal | Image credit: Géry PARENT, CC-BY-SA-3.0

Serandite Gemstone Properties

Though rare, serandite gemstone value can still depend on standard factors like color, cut, clarity, transparency, and carat weight. There are no known treatments for serandite, and synthetic serandites have only been created for research.

Color

Many serandite specimens are dark red, brown, or black. But the best serandite colors are vibrant pink to orange, including salmon and rose red.

Cut

Serandite is rarely faceted, and virtually all these serandites are in collections. The stone has been faceted into rectangular, baguette, and emerald shapes.

Stones cut into cabochons are also rare but do exist. Most serandites available for sale are rough crystals or specimens.

Clarity & Transparency

Clarity describes the degree of visible inclusions in a stone, which can lower its transparency and value. Among gem-quality serandites, which are already rare, transparent sections are even rarer and small.

As such, transparent (or more transparent) serandites are quite valuable. Most stones have visible inclusions, so even moderately included serandites are considered good-clarity options.

Carat Weight & Size

Serandites cut into any shape (faceted or cabochon) are quite rare over 2 to 3 carats. High-quality faceted stones are usually small, as large gem-quality crystals don’t usually have large, transparent and facetable portions.

That said, serandite cabochons have been cut to weigh over 18 carats. Most serandite cabochons or carvings available for sale are mixed with other minerals like microcline and aegirine.

Pictured above: Serandite crystals on aegirine | Image credit: Géry PARENT, CC-BY-SA-3.0

Serandite Formation & Sources

Serandite minerals usually form in nepheline syenite rocks, but they’re also found in pegmatites, sodalite xenoliths, contact metamorphic rocks, and phonolite vugs.

Associated minerals include:

• Aegirine

• Albite

• Analcime

• Kupletskite

• Leifite

• Leucophanite

• Manganese-bearing neptunite

• Microcline

• Natrolite

• Polylithionite

• Rhodochrosite

Mining Locations

As you know by now, only one locality produces facetable serandite: Mont Saint-Hilaire in Quebec, Canada.

Other localities where serandite is found — usually as tiny grains in rocks — include:

• Australia

• Brazil

• Guinea

• Hungary

• India

• Italy

• Japan

• Namibia

• Norway

• Russia

• South Africa

• Sweden

• Ukraine

• USA (Arkansas, California, New Mexico)

Sources aside, what kind of serandite gemstone prices should you expect?

Serandite Price & Value

Very few faceted serandites are sold. Their rarity means they command steep prices, around $550 per carat.

You can find some serandite carvings (usually mixed with other minerals like aegirine and microcline). These are usually eggs or spheres and range from $200 to $950.

Most rough serandite for sale comes from Canada, and it’s often attached to other minerals — most often aegirine, natrolite, analcime, polylithionite, or leucophanite.

The priciest rough serandite specimens have vibrant salmon-pink coloring, come in fairly large sizes, form with valuable minerals like leucophanite, and/or come from Canada, particularly the Mont St. Hilaire mine.

There are few serandite jewelry pieces available, ranging from $50 to $170 for cabochon pendants.

Serandite Care and Maintenance

In terms of gemstone care, serandite jewelry is rare but if you find it, it should have protective settings, given its perfect cleavage and fairly low hardness. We also recommend only wearing serandite jewelry occasionally in jewelry like brooches or earrings (rather than rings).

You can clean serandite with warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush. Be careful when storing to avoid scratches.

Pictured above: Single euhedral, salmon-colored serandite crystal with pearly luster; Wendell E. Wilson Collection | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Secure Your Serandite Crystal Today!

Although serandite is mostly known among collectors, it’s a beautiful underrated gemstone with warm pinkish-orange hues worthy of being displayed or worn. Does this rare gemstone’s peachy hue call to you?

Buy serandite and other spectacular gemstones today!