The crystals are glassy, colorful and brittle octahedrons and cubes, with a Mohs hardness of 4 and a melting point of 1360°C. It has perfect cleavage. Some of the samples can glow when subjected to friction, heating or ultraviolet radiation.

 

The mineral comes from volcanic magma. When the magma cools, the fluoride ions in the gas-water solution separated by the magma combine with calcium ions in rocks to form calcium fluoride which becomes fluorite after crystallization. Fluorite exists in granite, pegmatite, anorthite and other rocks.

 

It is not often used as a gem because of its brittleness, but colorful fluorite can be made into craftwork for collection and decoration. Fluorite is also the main source of fluorine and its various compounds.