Gemstone Glossary

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Leifite

The name Leifite was dedicated to Leif Ericson, the tenth-century Scandinavian mariner and explorer. The mineral was first discovered in 1915 at Narsarsuk in Greenland. Leifite commonly occurs in colorless to pure white, with pale violet surfaces on larger aggregates.



Leifite is a rare mineral. A unique environment is required in order for the mineral to form. Leifite occurs in rare rocks known as Agpaites, which are rocks with high concentrations of alkali metals, especially sodium.

Leifite is composed of 10.81% Sodium, 1.48% Beryllium, 13.32% Aluminum, 23.76% Silicon, 0.76% Hydrogen, 43.62% Oxygen and 6.25% Fluoride, [Na6Be2Al2Si16O39(OH)2-1.5H2O]. Its hardness ranks 6 on the Moh’s Scale with a Specific Gravity of 2.6. Leifite’s crystals are transparent with a vitreous to silky luster. They commonly occur in various forms including fibrous, spherical aggregates, and simple hexagonal prisms.

Leifite is commonly found associated with Aegirine, Arfvedsonite, Analcime, Calcite, Eudialyte, Serandite and some other rare minerals. Its occurrence has been reported at: the Kola Peninsula in Russia; Narsarsuk, Greenland and the mines of Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. Mont Saint-Hilaire is by far the most important source of Leifite. The world's finest and largest crystals have come from this locality since the beginning of its quarrying operations.

The Mont Saint-Hilaire site is truly a unique mineral locality. It has produced specimens of over three hundred different minerals with nearly thirty that are new minerals and many more yet to be officially recognized.

Leifite is very rarely used as a gemstone. However, due to its rarity and interesting crystal structure, it is quite popular among mineral collectors.