Meet the crystal
About Lapidolite
Lepidolite is the traditional name given to a group of lithium-rich mica minerals that commonly occur in shades of lilac, lavender, pink, violet, grey and occasionally colourless or yellowish tones.
Like other micas, Lepidolite has a distinctive layered structure and perfect basal cleavage, allowing individual crystals to split into extremely thin, flexible sheets. Fine-grained masses can have a sparkling or sugary appearance, while larger crystals may form flat plates or mica “books”.
Lepidolite most commonly occurs in highly evolved granitic pegmatites, where lithium and other unusual elements become concentrated during the final stages of magma crystallisation. It is often associated with albite, quartz, tourmaline, spodumene, beryl and other pegmatite minerals.
Historically, Lepidolite has also been important as a source of lithium and has been used in specialised glass and ceramic manufacture. Modern mineralogy recognises that material historically called Lepidolite can span more than one lithium-mica composition rather than representing one perfectly fixed mineral formula.
