Apatite...The Low-Cost Gem With Bright Neon Colors

The electric blue and green colors of apatite closely resemble those of the rare and very costly Paraiba tourmaline...one of the rarest gemstones on earth. In fact, apatite is known as "the poor man’s Paraiba" because its price is about 1% of the cost of ultra-expensive Paraiba tourmaline which comes from Paraiba, Brazil. Apatite chiefly comes from Madagascar and is abundant in vivid "neon" colors such as teal blue, greenish blue, bluish green, mint green and pastel mint green. It is a transparently clear gemstone that is also available in a bouquet of 20 other beautiful colors including yellow, purple, pink and reddish brown. Inexpensive, neon-colored apatite is the newest addition to what are called "affordable gems." With a hardness ranging from 5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, apatite is a popular gem for dramatic earrings, pendants and pins where the gems are spared from hard wear and tear.