Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is a composed of calcium fluoride. The word fluorite is derived from the Latin root fluo, meaning “to flow” . This mineral is used in smelting iron to decrease the viscosity of slags.

In 1852 fluorite gave its name to the phenomenon of fluorescence which is prominent in fluorites from certain locations, due to certain impurities in the crystal. Fluorite also gave the name to fluorine – its constitutive element.

Fluorite is a colorful mineral, both in visible and ultraviolet light, and the stone has ornamental uses. Industrially, fluorite is used as a flux for smelting, and in the production of certain glasses and enamels.

Optically clear transparent fluorite lenses have disperse very little. Fluorite lenses exhibit less chromatic aberration. Hence they are valuable in optical instruments like microscopes and telescopes. Fluorite optics are also usable in the far-ultraviolet range where conventional glasses are too absorbent for use.

Fluorite comes in a wide range of colors and has subsequently been dubbed “the most colorful mineral in the world”. The most common colors are purple, blue, green, yellow, or colorless.

Less common are pink, red, white, brown, black, and nearly every shade in between. Color zoning or banding is commonly present. The color of the fluorite is determined by factors including impurities, exposure to radiation, and the size of the color centers.
Natural fluorite mineral has ornamental uses. Fluorite may be drilled into beads and used in jewelry. Due to its relative softness it is not widely used as a semiprecious stone.