Blue John stone

E138198

Blue John stone is a rare, banded variety of fluorite prized as a decorative gemstone, found almost exclusively in the caves near Castleton in Derbyshire, England.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Blue John 1
Blue John fluorspar 1
Blue John stone canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf decorative gemstone
fluorite variety
mineral variety
associatedWith Castleton mining heritage
belongsTo fluorite group
chemicalFormula CaF2
color blue
purple
yellow
composedOf calcium fluoride
countryOfOrigin England
crystalSystem isometric
culturalSignificance local craft tradition in Derbyshire
symbol of Castleton
exhibitedAt local museums in Derbyshire
foundIn Blue John Cavern
Treak Cliff Cavern
caves near Castleton
geologicalAge Carboniferous limestone host rocks
hardnessOnMohsScale 4
hasPattern banded
veined
locatedIn Castleton
Derbyshire
Peak District
marketForm carved ornaments
polished cabochons
tableware
minedSince 18th century
mineralClass halide mineral
notableFeature distinctive banding
rare occurrence
rarity rare
regionOfSignificance Derbyshire
Peak District
surface form: Peak District National Park
sensitivity sensitive to acids
sensitive to heat
sensitive to scratching
touristAttraction Blue John Cavern
Treak Cliff Cavern
transparency transparent to translucent
usedFor bowls
inlay work
jewellery
ornamental carvings
vases
value collectible gemstone

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Castleton knownFor Blue John stone
Blue John Cavern knownFor Blue John stone
this entity surface form: Blue John fluorspar
Blue John Cavern materialExtracted Blue John stone
this entity surface form: Blue John