A stone guide

Boleite

Q: What is often mistaken for boleite?

Fluorite cube. Fluorite is glassier, lighter (SG 3.2), streaks white, and shows octahedral cleavage flashes.

Deep indigo.

Halides (complex Pb-Cu-Ag chloride)CaliforniaSee treatment disclosure

Boleite is halides (complex Pb-Cu-Ag chloride), KPb26Ag9Cu24Cl62(OH)48. In the hand, it rates 3 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale, and it runs deep indigo blue and prussian blue. Deep indigo, seemingly perfect little cubes with a blue streak and surprising heft, classic specimens come loose like dice from Baja clay.

The closest match we carry

Love Boleite? Meet Shattuckite.

Boleite is not something we carry. Shattuckite is the closest match in color, and every product page names its origin and grade.

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Chrysocolla & Shattuckite Raw Stones

A Grade | 1.50–2.50″

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Chrysocolla & Shattuckite Raw Stones

A Grade | 2–3″

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Chrysocolla & Shattuckite Polished Crystal Chips

A Grade | 0.25–0.50″

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From $11

Chrysocolla & Shattuckite Raw Stones

A Grade | 1–2″

KUNENE, NAMIBIA

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From $9 per piece

4.9 out of 5from 1,000+ reviews
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Family

Halides (complex Pb-Cu-Ag chloride)

Mohs

3 to 3.5

System

Tetragonal (pseudo-cubic)

Luster

Vitreous to pearly

Gravity

5.05

Light

Translucent to nearly opaque

What it is

The geology.

Boleite carries the formula KPb26Ag9Cu24Cl62(OH)48. It belongs to the tetragonal (pseudo-cubic) system. It is classed as halides (complex Pb-Cu-Ag chloride).

It sits at 3 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale. The surface reads vitreous to pearly. Light behavior is translucent to nearly opaque. Specific gravity runs 5.05. The streak is blue, slightly greenish. It breaks with perfect cleavage; uneven fracture.

Deep indigo, seemingly perfect little cubes with a blue streak and surprising heft, classic specimens come loose like dice from Baja clay.

It turns up mostly as sharp cube-like crystals, crystals in matrix or thumbnail specimens.

Where it comes from

The origins.

Boleo copper district, Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, Mexico; minor occurrences in Chile and Australia.

On value, the database notes: collector mineral; sharp Boleo cubes command three-figure-plus prices.

What people work with it for

Traditional associations.

In energy work traditions, associated with deep insight and communication across distance.

This is lore, and we label it as lore. The measurable facts are further up the page.

What to look for

Spotting the real thing.

Deep indigo, seemingly perfect little cubes with a blue streak and surprising heft, classic specimens come loose like dice from Baja clay.

Rarely faked due to obscurity; beware dyed halite or fluorite cubes offered to beginners as boleite.

Looks like	How to tell them apart
Fluorite cube	Fluorite is glassier, lighter (SG 3.2), streaks white, and shows octahedral cleavage flashes
Galena cube	Galena is metallic silver-gray with gray-black streak
Azurite crystal	Azurite forms bladed or tabular monoclinic crystals, never neat cubes

Check it yourself

At-home tests.

A loupe and a window seat settle most questions about boleite. No workshop required.

Test	What you should see
By eye	Blue streak on unglazed porcelain is highly distinctive
By eye	Very heavy for size (SG over 5)
Scratch check	Soft, a copper coin scratches it

Destructive tests belong to a gemologist, not a kitchen table. If a piece matters to you, pay for an appraisal before you take a file to it.

How to live with it

Care & handling.

At 3 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale this is a soft material. Keep it as a display piece, store it apart from harder stones, and skip daily-wear settings.

It breaks with perfect cleavage; uneven fracture, which is worth knowing before you set it or drop it.

Clean it by hand, dry it properly, and keep it away from ultrasonic cleaners and hot steam.

Safe handling

Contains lead and copper chlorides: wash hands after handling and never use in elixirs.

Pairs well with.

For the serious reader

A deeper look.

Extended detail on composition, sourcing, authentication and market value.

The physical record

The formula on record is KPb26Ag9Cu24Cl62(OH)48. Crystal system: Tetragonal (pseudo-cubic). Specific gravity: 5.05. Streak: Blue, slightly greenish. Cleavage and fracture: Perfect cleavage; uneven fracture.

How it reaches the market

Boleo copper district, Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, Mexico; minor occurrences in Chile and Australia.

What it gets confused with

Fluorite cube: Fluorite is glassier, lighter (SG 3.2), streaks white, and shows octahedral cleavage flashes. Galena cube: Galena is metallic silver-gray with gray-black streak. Azurite crystal: Azurite forms bladed or tabular monoclinic crystals, never neat cubes.

What it is worth

Collector mineral; sharp Boleo cubes command three-figure-plus prices.

Where buyers get caught

Rarely faked due to obscurity; beware dyed halite or fluorite cubes offered to beginners as boleite.

One more thing

Boleite cubes are actually three interpenetrating tetragonal crystals imitating a cube, a disguise so good it fooled early crystallographers.

From the Beyond Bohemian library

An education-first guide.

We publish this guide from our research and years of experience with crystals, so you can understand this stone wherever you find it.

Explore the Crystal Guide

Boleite

Love Boleite? Meet Shattuckite.

The geology.

The origins.

Traditional associations.

Spotting the real thing.

At-home tests.

Care & handling.

Pairs well with.

A deeper look.

The physical record

How it reaches the market

What it gets confused with

What it is worth

Where buyers get caught

One more thing

An education-first guide.

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Boleite

The geology.

The origins.

Traditional associations.

Spotting the real thing.

At-home tests.

Care & handling.

Pairs well with.

A deeper look.

The physical record

How it reaches the market

What it gets confused with

What it is worth

Where buyers get caught

One more thing

An education-first guide.

Most items are one of one or come in limited batches. See them, and the stories behind them, before anyone else.