25 Types of Clear Gemstones in Jewelry

White Diamond

While found in colored varieties, diamonds are most popular as clear stones. The hardest on earth, diamonds are clear crystals in their pure form, when the mineral lacks impurities that would otherwise give it color. These clear rocks boosts of a 2.418 refractive index, which means that light is trapped in a diamond crystal more than twice longer the time it travels through air. This make the clear crystal shine so brilliantly it appears white, hence the trade name white diamond. Diamond is the most expensive of clear gemstones, with prices of up to $45,000 per carat. Diamond is the birthstone for April; while in astrology, the clear precious stone is the birthstone of Aries. See —

Colorless Taaffeite

Beside purple, taaffeite also occurs as colorless crystals. With prices of up to $4,600 a carat, taaffeite is the most valuable of clear gemstones next to diamond. Discovered in 1945, taaffeite was named after Richard Taaffe, who was able to distinguish the gemstone from spinel, with which the new gemstone was commonly confused at the time.

Colorless Benitoite

While most popularly blue, benitoite also occurs as clear stones. Glassy in luster, these clear crystals have a hardness of 6 to 6.5 in the Mohs scale. With value as high $1,800 a carat, benitoite is among the most expensive of clear gemstones. Benitoite was named after the San Benito River in Calfornia, USA, where the gemstone was first discovered, and hailed as official state gem.

White Sapphire

The second hardest gemstone next to diamond, sapphire is the gemstone of the mineral corundum, except for the red variety, which is known as ruby. While most popularly blue, sapphire occurs as clear crystals in pure form. Though not technically white, this clear stone is called white sapphire, thanks in no small part to a high refractive index, which makes the clear crystal appear indeed white. With prices of over $1,000 a carat, white sapphire is also among the most expensive of clear gemstones. Sapphire is the modern birthstone for the month of September. In astrology, this precious stone is the birthstone of the zodiac sign Taurus.

Colorless Chrysoberyl

Chrysoberyl is the same mineral that produces cat’s eye and alexandrite. While commonly a greenish yellow, chrysoberyl also occurs as clear crystals. This clear stone is the third hardest, with hardness pegged at 8.5 in the Mohs scale, just behind sapphire and diamond.

White Spinel

While usually found in colored varieties, spinel also occurs as clear stones, better known as white spinel. With a high refractive index almost equal to sapphire, this clear gem may indeed appear white. The biggest and most valuable of this clear stone came from Sri Lanka. It was a 71.25 white spinel now estimated to have a value of $1,000,000.

Colorless Iolite

While most popular in blue, iolite also occurs as clear crystals. Known as cordierite in mineralogy, this clear stone is quite hard, with hardness pegged at 7 to 7.5 in the Mohs scale. First discovered in 1813, cordierite was named after the French mineralogist Louis Cordier.

Achroite

While found in all the colors of the rainbow, tourmaline actually occurs as clear crystals, which was given the name achroite, from the Greek for “colorless.” Although among the rarest of tourmalines and usually found in very small crystals, this clear stone is rather inexpensive. Tourmaline in general is regarded as a birthstone for October. In astrology, tourmaline is a birthstone for the zodiac sign Leo.

Colorless Zircon

Found in a variety of colors, zircon also occurs as clear stones. These clear crystals have excellent quality, both in brilliance and hardness, that zircon is often made a substitute to diamond. This gave clear zircon the name Matura diamond. Zircon is a traditional birthstone for December. In astrology, zircon is associated with the zodiac sign Virgo.

Colorless Phenakite

While more often yellowish in color, phenakite sometimes occur as perfectly colorless stones. These clear crystals look like quartz, although more brilliant, owing to a higher refractive index. Phenakite is harder than quartz too, with hardness pegged at 7.5 to 8 in the Mohs scale.

Want to see the rarest of these white clear gemstones? Jump to —

Colorless Sodalite

While most popularly blue, sodalite also occurs as clear stones. These clear crystals come from the white variety of sodalite called hackmanite, which is known for tenebrescence, or the ability to change color when exposed to sunlight. Though glassy, the luster of this clear gemstone may be dull. See also Sodalite: Stone of Clarity.

Colorless Enstatite

While usually opaque to translucent, enstatite also occurs as clear stones. Clear crystals may also be cut from thin sections of the colored varieties of enstatite, which includes white, yellow and green. This clear stone may be glassy in luster, and has a hardness of 5 to 6 in the Mohs scale.

Colorless Sillimanite

Beside blue, green and yellow, sillimanite also occurs as clear stones. These clear crystals have a hardness of 7 in the Mohs scale: as hard as quartz and accordingly suitable for jewelry. First discovered in 1824 in Connecticut, USA, sillimanite was named after the American chemist Benjamin Silliman.

Colorless Spodumene

Known as hiddenite when green and kunzite in lilac, spodumene also occurs as clear crystals, which are regarded as colorless kunzite. These clear stones have a vitreous luster, and a hardness of 6.5 to 7 in the Mohs scale. The clear gemstone is the least expensive of the varieties of kunzite.

Colorless Labradorite

Labradorite, while usually blue, also occurs as clear stones. These clear crystals still show labradorescence, or the iridescent play of colors found in labradorite. A variety of this clear gemstone is called rainbow moonstone, whose play of colors is mostly blue. Indeed, contrary to what the name suggests, rainbow moonstone is not in fact true moonstone, but clear labradorite.

Goshenite

Known as emerald when green and aquamarine in blue, beryl occurs as clear stones. These clear crystals are called goshenite, a name derived from Goshen, Massachusetts, where the clear stone was originally discovered. Beryl in general is a traditional birthstone for October. In astrology, beryl is the birthstone of the zodiac sign Scorpio.

Colorless Apatite

Apatite is a phosphate mineral primarily used in the manufacture of fertilizer. While usually green, gem-quality apatite also occurs as clear crystals. These clear stones are glassy in luster, with a hardness of 5 in the Mohs scale. Apatite has a refractive index of 1.638, making the clear stone nearly as brilliant as sapphire.

Colorless Danburite

While most sought-after in its yellow variety, danburite usually occurs as clear crystals. The glassy clarity, hardness and brilliance of this clear stone make it a valuable gemstone for jewelry. Danburite was named after Danbury, Connecticut in the U.S., where the mineral was first discovered.

Clear Quartz

Quartz is a hard mineral that consists of many different varieties, including amethyst and citrine. In pure crystalline form, quartz occurs as clear crystals, known as rock crystal, or just clear quartz. These semi-precious clear stones may have dark needle-like inclusions of rutile, which gives it the name rutilated quartz. If the acicular inclusions consist of black or dark green tourmaline, the gemstone is known as tourmalinated quartz. Clear quartz may also be found in dendritic agate and moss agate.

Clear quartz was made an alternative to diamond as April birthstone in Britain. In astrology, the clear gemstone is the birthstone of Pisces. See also Rock Crystal: Stone of Clairvoyance.

Colorless Petalite

Also known as castorite, petalite is a mineral that is an important ore of lithium. Beside orange, yellow and pink, petalite also occurs as clear stones. In fact it is the clear crystals of the petalite mineral that are used as gemstones in jewelry. This clear gemstone was discovered only in 1800.

Colorless Scapolite

Along with a variety of colors like yellow and violet, scapolite also occurs as clear crystals. Gem quality crystals of this clear gemstone come from the endmember of scapolite known as marialite. First described in 1866 in Italy, the clear crystal has a hardness of 5.5 to 6 in the Mohs scale.

Colorless Fluorite

While found in many vivid colors, fluorite also occurs as clear stones. In fact, the clear crystal is among the most common varieties of fluorite. The weakness of fluorite in general lies in the hardness of the mineral, which is pegged at only 4 in the Mohs scale, making fluorite rather unsuitable for jewelry.

Colorless Orthoclase

Orthoclase is another member of the feldspar minerals, which is divided into two groups. Whereas labradorite falls under the plagioclase group, orthoclase makes up the other. Orthoclase usually occurs as clear stones, and is a component of moonstone, a gemstone composed of alternate layers of two feldspar minerals, the other being the plagioclase albite.

Silver Topaz

While usually tinted by impurities, topaz occurs as clear crystals in pure form. These clear stones are known as silver topaz, or white topaz. Topaz is a traditional and modern birthstone for November, though blue topaz is given month of December as birthstone. In astrology, topaz is the birthstone of the zodiac sign Sagittarius.

Colorless Idocrase

Idocrase is better known in mineralogy by the name vesuvianite, named after Mount Vesuvius in Italy, where the mineral was first discovered. While more popular in yellow, green and blue, idocrase also occurs as clear stones. These clear crystals are glassy in luster, and have a hardness of 6 to 7 in the Mohs scale.

Clear Gemstones in Jewelry

Do you like to wear clear stones in your jewelry? Clear gemstones give any outfit the glints and sparkle of refracted white light. Give your look that pure glassy sparkles that only clear gems bring.