Most green stones are green because of iron or chromium. Chrysoprase is green because of nickel, and the result is a color found almost nowhere else in the mineral world, a translucent apple or mint green that glows when light passes through it. It is the most valuable of the chalcedonies, and it has been treasured for a long time: Frederick the Great collected it, and the fourteenth-century Chapel of Saint Wenceslas in Prague is lined with slabs of Polish chrysoprase. Today the finest material comes from Queensland, Australia. In crystal lore it is the stone of a hopeful heart, the green of spring rather than the green of money. At Plentiful Earth we carry chrysoprase as tumbled stones by the pound and as sterling silver pendants for anyone who wants that color close.
What You'll Find Here
Tumbled chrysoprase. Sold by the pound, these smooth green stones range from pale mint to saturated apple green, with the best pieces translucent at the edges. Use them for carrying, grids, and gifting.
Chrysoprase pendants. Oval or teardrop cabochons set in sterling silver, the classic way to wear the stone and the form that shows its glow best.
What Is Chrysoprase Used For?
Chrysoprase is a heart chakra stone with a light, optimistic feel. Practitioners use it for new beginnings, for shaking off cynicism, for forgiveness, and for the low-grade heaviness that settles in after a long stretch of bad news. It has a long folk reputation as a stone of good fortune and of truth-telling, and in modern practice it is a favorite for people recovering from burnout. It is also one of the stones associated with Gemini and Libra.
Chrysoprase is chalcedony, so it is hard, around 6.5 to 7, and takes daily wear well. The one thing it dislikes is prolonged direct sunlight, which can slowly pale the green, so charge it by moonlight or with selenite.
Explore Related Collections
Chrysoprase sits with the other green heart stones, green aventurine, jade, emerald, and peridot, all gathered in our green crystals collection. Its chalcedony cousins include carnelian and blue lace agate. Browse gemstone pendants and new beginnings items alongside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chrysoprase?
Chrysoprase is a variety of chalcedony, a microcrystalline quartz, colored apple green by traces of nickel. It is found in Australia, Brazil, Poland, Tanzania, and the western United States.
Is chrysoprase the same as jade?
No. Jade is jadeite or nephrite; chrysoprase is quartz. They can look similar, and chrysoprase has been sold as Australian jade, but they are different minerals.
What does chrysoprase mean spiritually?
Hope, renewal, forgiveness, and joy. It is a heart chakra stone used for new beginnings and for lifting a heavy heart.
Why does chrysoprase fade?
Some chrysoprase loses color in long exposure to heat or strong sunlight. Storing it out of the sun keeps the green stable, and some faded stones recover a little when kept in a damp, dark place.
Can chrysoprase go in water?
Yes. It is non-porous quartz and is safe to rinse and cleanse in water.
Which chakra is chrysoprase for?
The heart chakra, with some practitioners also placing it at the sacral for creativity and fertility work.
