Mined all across the world, calcite is a common carbonate mineral, and a major component of both limestone and marble. Calcite is known for its rhombohedral cleavage, meaning it breaks along planes that intersect at angles other than 90 degrees, forming diamond-shaped faces.
Color
Calcite is typically white, but can also come in red, gray, orange, green, yellow, violet, green, brown, black, and blue due to impurities dealing with:
• Cobalt typically causes a pink to purple color.
• Iron leads to shades of yellow, brown, red, and black
• Mangenese leads to pink purple, and reddish brown colors.
Varieties Of Colored Calcite
There are many varieties of calcite, including coffee calcite, blue calcite, green calcite, among others. Green calcite generally gets its color from copper and iron, but is sometimes the effect of natural ionizing or radiation. Another type, called Cobaltocalcite, is known for its high levels of cobalt, as the name suggests.
In conclusion, calcite is a common gemstone with many types and colors.