Fuchsite: Properties, Facts and Photos

What is Fuchsite?

Fuchsite is a variety of chromium-rich muscovite. The more chromium present, the richer the colour. In some cases, the colour can be similar to emerald.

When chromium is replaced by aluminium, the shade of green becomes distinctively lighter.

Fuchsite is a radioactive mineral that fluoresces lime-green under ultraviolet light. This is because of the presence of potassium.

Fuchsite is often found as tiny mineral inclusions in certain rocks. When present in larger quantities, it becomes known as verdite.   

A relatively soft mineral, fuchsite is rarely found with good purity. It grades 2 to 3 on the Mohs scale and can feature inclusions of red corundum. This stone, known as ruby in fuchsite, is often mistaken for ruby zoisite, which can look very similar.

Ruby zoisite is much rarer, hence is typically expensive. It's also harder than ruby in fuchsite and often exhibits crystals of black hornblende.
The name 'fuchsite' is often mispronounced. The stone was named after German chemist and mineralogist Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs (pronounced fooks), so it should be pronounced 'fook-site.'

Strangely, it's often mispelt as 'fuschite.' 

Article Photos

The fuchsite at the top of our article is displayed in the Natural History Museum London. It's clickable and redirects to the original image. Photo by Stone Mania.

The second photo, which is ruby in fuchsite, links to our collection of ruby in fuchsite tumbled stones.