Scheelite Lace

History of Scheelite Lace

Scheelite Lace is a recent addition to the metaphysical world and there is quite a bit of confusion and misinformation circulating about it.  It was first offered on the open market in the late spring of 2014.  At that time, it was called Lapis Lace Onyx, in honor of its bright blue stripes.  However, since this stone contains neither Lapis nor Onyx, the name is misleading and so is rarely used today.

The stone has also been sold as Blue Scheelite since 2014, which is problematic for a different reason.  Scheelite is a white, yellow or brown mineral.  It may occasionally have a greenish tint, but there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Scheelite can be bright blue under natural light.  But, Scheelite is a highly fluorescent mineral which glows bright blue under short wave light.  It is possible that some sellers have confused the fluorescent quality with the natural appearance.  To be clear, there is no such thing as naturally occurring Blue Scheelite.   

Nevertheless, this stone is still frequently sold as “Blue Scheelite” by wholesalers and retail stores alike.  Sometimes sellers will claim the entire stone is blue and white Scheelite, while others mention the presence of Calcite and/or Dolomite.  But, there is no consistency about whether the blue stripes are said to be Calcite, Dolomite or Scheelite, all three seem to be equal contenders.  Some sources even suggest the stone is composed only of Calcite and Dolomite and there is no Scheelite at all.  Annoyingly, information is always presented as though it were strictly factual rather than a guess.

It is a common practice for new healing stones to be introduced to the market without any scientific testing.  Sellers who attempt to provide mineralogical information, are often guessing or repeating what their sources told them.  Everyone trusting, but no one verifying.  Years later, the stone may be formally tested at a lab and the findings may flatly contradict the original guesswork.  Rather than admit the mistake, many sellers will double-down on the old claims.  Since most sellers simply repeat or copy/paste information from others, it can be very difficult to sift the wheat from chaff, and to fact-check claims.

Two metaphysical sellers share intriguing stories about this stone’s name and origin which seem to ring true.  According to an eBay seller, the man who originally found the Scheelite Lace deposit proclaimed it was Blue Scheelite.  It was only after his passing, that the stone was formally tested and discovered to be a rare blue Dolomite banded with white Calcite.  According to that eBay seller, there is no Scheelite in the stone at all, nevertheless that seller still uses the name “Blue Scheelite” in honor of the stone’s finder.  Another metaphysical stone seller claims to have sent the stone away for testing personally.  Her testing agreed that the white parts are Calcite and the blue parts are Dolomite, but the testing also showed that the yellow parts are Scheelite.  According to her, the mine always knew the stone contained Scheelite, but never cared enough to find out which parts are Scheelite and simply allowed people to draw their own conclusions.

I have varified that there are Tungsten mines near Bursa, Turkey where this stone is mined.  Scheelite is a common Tungsten ore mineral and so it is probable that the yellow parts on Scheelite Lace are indeed Scheelite.  But further testing is needed.  Moonrise Crystals is currently using the name Scheellite Lace for this stone.  It is a less-common name, but is used by other sellers and seems to be the least problematic.