THE GEMSTONE LIBRARY
Tiffany (Utah)
Lavender, violet and creamy white meet in the swirling patterns of Utah Tiffany stone. Our collection includes polished hearts, freeforms, cabochons, pendants and animal carvings, each showing a different part of this patterned material.
A rock with more than one mineral
Tiffany stone is a trade name for a complex mineral-bearing rock rather than a single mineral species. The Fluorescent Mineral Society describes Utah material as opalized fluorite with bands and veins of chalcedony, manganese oxide and bertrandite. Calling the entire stone “bertrandite” does not mean every part is that mineral.
The Utah connection
The classic locality is the Brush Wellman beryllium mine in the Spor Mountain district near Delta, Utah. USGS photographs from the Roadside pit document layered nodules with fluorite, opal and bertrandite mineralization. That mixed structure helps explain why a polished surface can reveal contrasting zones and veins instead of one uniform appearance.
Color and light
Purple, lavender and cream patterns make Tiffany stone a distinctive lapidary material. Some specimens also fluoresce under ultraviolet light; the response depends on their mineral components and the wavelength used. A photographed fluorescent specimen does not establish the response of every piece in our collection.
Our Tiffany collection
The hearts are shown above. Explore the other collection photographs below; select an image to open its Memory Lane entry. The gallery includes still previews of the archive videos.
Care
Handle polished pieces gently, store them separately to avoid knocks and scratches, and clean with a soft damp cloth. Avoid harsh cleaners and sudden temperature changes.
This page features our Utah Tiffany collection. The separate Russian Tiffany laboratory entry concerns a different specimen. No specimen-specific laboratory report is attached to the photographed Utah pieces here.
References
- U.S. Geological Survey: Nodule from Spor Mountain
- Fluorescent Mineral Society: Tiffany Stone from Delta, Utah
