Staurolite

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Staurolite crosses are also known as Fairy Stones or Fairy Crosses and are surrounded by myth and legends. This remarkable mineral composite of silica, iron, and aluminum appears in crystalline shapes of crosses, Celtic crosses, St. Andrew’s cross, as an “X” or as a “T” shaped Roman cross or square Maltese cross. In color they can vary from light tan to dark brown, brownish black, grey, or reddish brown. They often have inclusions of other minerals such as garnet. A State Park in Virginia within the United States is named after its mythology namesake of “fairy stones” and is the official stone of the state of George in the USA.

Localities of Staurolite

Even though Christianized myths dictate the stone is only found in two places on the planet – it is actually more common found throughout the world. It can be found naturally at the Fairy Stone State Park, Virginia, USA; North Georgia, USA; Little Falls, Minnesota, USA; Taos, New Mexico, USA; Switzerland; Russia; Australia; Brazil; France; Italy; and Scotland.

Staurolite Geology

Staurolite are a combination of silica, iron, and aluminum. A silicate mineral, with the Chemical formula of Fe2+2Al9O6(SiO4)4(O,OH)2, and hosting a Strunz classification of 9.AF.30, Staurolite possesses a monclinic prismatic crystal symmetry. It’s H-M symbol is (2/m), with a Space group of C 2/m, and a unit cell a = 7.86, b = 16.6, c = 5.65; ? = 90.45; Z=2. Coloring ranges from yellowish brown, rarely blue, dark reddish brown to blackish brown, pale golden yellow in thin sections with a sub vitreous to resinous luster, with white to gray streaks, transparent to opaque diaphaneity. Staurolite has a specific gravity of 3.74 – 3.83 meas. 3.686 calc. Twinning is commonly as 60 twins, less common as 90 cruciform twins. It can possess a sub-conchoidal fracture, brittle tenacity, mosh scale hardness of 7-7.5. The Fairy Cross common to have penetration twinning, or a characteristic cross-shape. It occurs with almandine garnet, micas, kyanite; as well as albite, biotite, and sillimanite in gneiss and schist of regional metamorphic rocks.

Staurolite is only found in rocks once subjected to great heat and pressure. A rare mineral occurrence in nature, it is only found in certain areas of the world in the fairy cross or Celtic cross shapes. Each are unique and never are identical. True Staurolite crosses are hard enough to scratch glass.

Staurolite
macro mineral stone Staurolite on a white background close up

Folklore about Staurolite

Named after the Greek word “Stauros” for “cross”, Staurolite crystals are commonly known as “fairy stones” or “fairy crosses”. According to European and Christianity influenced Native American legend on the state park website, “hundreds of years before Chief Powhatan’s reign, the fairies were dancing around a magical spring of water, playing with naiads and wood nymphs, when a elfin messenger arrived from a city far away bringing the news of the death of Christ. When these creatures of the forest heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept, as their tears fell upon the earth they crystallized into beautiful crosses”.

According to folklore, during the first meeting of John Smith and Pocahontas, it is said the Indian princess gave John Smith a good luck charm made out of a “fairy cross” or Staurolite. Legend also has it that Richard the Lionheart had his servants using them during the crusades to heal the wounded.

Some also say these are the tears of the Cherokee who wept over the loss of their homeland during the exodus on the “Trail of Tears”. Others talk of an ancient race of mountain faeries who were dancing at their favorite meeting places, and upon finding out that the “Great Creator” had died, shed tears, so moved, were crushed in heart and cried, as they wept their tears crystallized into the “fairy crosses”.

Other legends say that during the defeat of the Tuatha de Danann and other faerie races when they were forced under-ground to live in the hills, the faeries around the world shed tears, made of Iron to represent the Iron Age destroying their race, in the shapes of crosses as an omen of the peopling that would destroy the planet next.

Well known that Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Thomas A. Edison, Colonel Charles Lindbergh, and other prominent people carried one of these on their person(s).

Magical uses: 

For centuries these were believed to protect the wearer from sickness, accidents, disaster, and witchcraft. Used to find lost objects. Placed under the pillow to help induce lucid dreaming and astral travel. Used as amulets for good luck. Staurolite was also used to aid stress, anxiety, fear, considered soothing energy, and helpful with grounding. Many believe this mineral embodies an energy that will help you make contact with faeries or nature spirits. Some believe wearing the stones will help one stop smoking.

Staurolite is astrologically associated with Pisces and associated with the base chakra. It is known to possess healing qualities, good luck, successful rituals, protection, release of fevers, defeat over malaria, stress, depression, addictive personality traits, and smoking cessation.

For more information about this mineral, visit mindat.org or join our Facebook group to network with others of like minds. Visit us on Instagram and/or join us at our Gem and Mineral shows.

By Thomas Baurley, Techno Tink Treasure.

References:

Staurolite
opaque mineral staurolit in micashist
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