Scientific Name: Calcium Fluoride
Group: Halides
Chemical composition: CaF2
Colors: Purple and green; combinations of these colors.
Hardness: 4
Formation: Cubic crystals; Cubic, octahedral form
Principal Sources: Canada, US, South Africa, Mexico, China, Thailand, Peru, Norway, England, Spain, Germany.
Special Notes: Fluorite exhibits fluorescence (hence its name). It is a source of fluorine, used in the fluoridation of water. Used as a flux in steel manufacture, production of hydrofluoric acid, catalyst in manufacture of high-octane fuels. It is used in making of opalescent glass, and in enamelware.