Celestite Tumbled Stones

Celestite tumbled stones are a tremendous way of keeping this otherwise fragile material nearby at all times. And with the soothing blue color that emanates from this crystal, who wouldn’t want it by them regularly?

Celestite, also known as Celestine, derives its name from the Latin word caelestis meaning celestial, which in turn is derived from the Latin word caelum meaning sky or heaven. The stone’s color aided in the creation of its name by Abraham Werner in 1798.

When featured in its natural form, a Celestite geode can become brittle and break easily. Celestite tumbled stones are fortified into pebbles and are stronger — even allowing itself to travel as a pocket stone with some degree of care.

Celestite must be tumbled with great care to avoid cracking or breaking during the tumbling process. During the process, a good amount of the stone is lost as it becomes shaped into a pebble. The end result is a stone that is smooth, rounded and simply divine to hold in the hand.

What Is Celestite?

Pure celestite is colorless. Impurities from other minerals within the crystal give Celestite its unmistakable colors. While most are familiar with the common sky-blue celestite crystals from Madagascar, Celestite is also found in colors that range from orange to yellow to greenish-grey. Some rare specimens can be multi-colored or zoned.

The Celestine mineral and the carbonate mineral strontianite are the principal sources of the element strontium sulphate, commonly used to add a reddish glow to fireworks and in various metal alloys. 

Celestite typically forms within sedimentary rock — particularly dolomites and dolomitic limestones. In some cases, it can also form in hydrothermal veins and in cavities in igneous rocks. 

The crystal geode forms as groundwater or low temperature hydrothermals precipitate, leaving the crystals to form as the groundwater deposits minerals into cavities in the host rock.

This is why Celestites form most often in geodes that, over time, trap the groundwater into the rock. When the water evaporates or seeps out, it leaves other minerals or silica behind that eventually form Celestite’s tabular crystals.

Celestite has the same structure as Barite, and forms very similar crystals that often get confused by gemstone enthusiasts. 

The common method for telling the difference between the two is a flame test. We do not recommend conducting such a test if you are not an expert, as the strontium compound within Celestite can become toxic if heated and inhaled.

Those who conduct a flame test will scrape the dust of the crystals into a gas flame, the color of the flame will confirm the identity of the crystal. Pale green flames come from barite. Red flames are celestite. This is why Celestite is often used as a key component to the red flash in fireworks.

The flame test works because the elements barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) react with the flame and produce those colors. Barite is rarely blue, but many specimens of blue barite are often misidentified as celestite.

Where Does Celestite Come From?

Celestite comes from multiple areas on earth and was first discovered in 1790. While a majority of the Celestite on the market — including the pieces used to create the Celestite tumbled stones in this listing — are from the northwest coast of Madagascar, some of the largest and most exquisite specimens came from right here in the U.S.A.

The world's largest known geode, a celestite geode, is located near the village of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.

The massive geode measures 35 feet (11 m) in diameter at its widest point and, in recent years, has been converted into a viewing cave — known as the Crystal Cave. The crystals which once composed the floor of the geode were removed, leaving Celestine crystals that are as wide as 18 inches (46 cm) across and estimated to weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg) each.

The largest deposits of Celestite come from Madagascar — though it is not an easy trek to get to this location.

The deposit is located in Sakoany Village, in Katsepy, Mitsinjo, Boeny, Madagascar. This local is famous among Celestite enthusiasts and has produced hundreds of tons of the material over the years.

To get there, you must take a boat from Majunga, across Bamekota Bay, to Katasepy. This is followed by a 4WD vehicle ride south for approximately eight miles (12km) and a 6.5-mile (10km) hike to the village.

The village is found on the western side of the banks of the Betsiboka River (where it empties into the Bombetoka Bay) on the northwestern coast of Madagascar. 

A cattle herder first discovered the Sakoany deposit when he stumbled upon some crystals that had weathered out close to the shore of the bay. From 1967 until 1971, villagers mined the deposit full time as demand for the beautiful gem exploded.

Mining mostly stopped for nearly a decade as demand decreased. That changed in the early 1980s and continues today, where the large deposit shows no signs of drying up.

Celestite is not overly rare and can also originate in a variety of colors and shapes in Poland, China and Brazil.

What Are the Healing Properties of Celestite?

Celestite is a stone of luck that is said to aid in communication with the Angelic Realm. These healing crystals can connect your physical body and mind with the ethereal higher realms to allow your guardian angel to speak directly to you.

Celestite tumbled is also a soothing sleep aid that guides in Astral Travel. Keeping Celestite near your bed is thought to provide a deeper, more relaxing sleep while bringing about inner peace as you traverse the length and width of the universe from the comfort of your sleeping quarters.

This beautiful crystal also promotes mental calm and mental clarity during meditation, while bringing about a spiritual awakening and spiritual awareness.

The soothing blues within these stones make it a high vibrational material that helps restore trust in the Universe. Celestite stone is said to bring about purity of heart, calming of emotions and aid in tuning your divine intuition.

Meditating with Celestite tumbled stones on the throat chakra, as well as the third eye, heart and crown chakra is said to ease one into an effortless state of meditation while tuning psychic abilities and understanding.

Other metaphysical properties of Celestite include:

• Often used when seeking Divine guidance or to communicate with loved ones on the other side for
•  Ideal for calming spaces like in the bedroom or while doing meditation. 
• Good support stone for dispelling worries and fears, suspicions, or paranoia, to ease feeling of safety and protection.
• Excellent stone for artists, musicians, designers and all who need to stimulate creativity and expand their ideas. Also helps in visionary business ventures (e.g. New Age store, metaphysical services, or any spiritual related business) to be prosperous and present while still ethical and connected to the spiritual world.

This is a stone of higher self, divine energy and happiness.

Are Celestite Tumbled Stones Fragile?

A natural Celestine crystal tends to be fragile — ranging between a 3 and 3.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This hardness rating is similar to most Calcites. As a comparison, the glass used for most of our smartphone screens rates as a 6 on the Mohs scale.

But tumbled Celestite has a slightly stronger base than the natural crystal structures. During the tumbling process, each Celestite crystal becomes rounded and fortified. While this blue gem is still prone to cracks or breaks, it is substantially stronger than a raw Celestite cluster.

Still, it is slightly more fragile than the typical tumbled stone. That said, you could use a Celestite tumbled stone as a carry piece — as long as you take care of it during your travels. Do not let the stone sit unguarded in a pocket or purse. 

Use a carrying bag or wrapping to protect this stone from abrasions or impacts that it might have to deal with if it is left unguarded.

Can You Put Celestite in Water?

Celestite, Halite and Selenite often get a bad rap as material that can not get wet. We never understood this line of thinking. Celestite is not a Gremlin and will not be harmed by short-term exposure to water.

We have an extensive process that we use to clean natural selenite into window-clear slabs. It involves deep soaking for long periods of time. This does no harm to the Selenite, just like it will not harm Celestite.

We would not recommend submerging Celestite in water for months or years at a time, as this will cause some dissolving and etching. It is not a stone you would put into an aquarium for your fish to enjoy. But cleaning with water and a soft soap will work wonders for your Celestite stone.

Do not clean or treat Celestite with chemicals that could erode or eat away at the minerals or crystals. While some chemicals are used regularly to clean specimens before they head to the marketplace, these treatments are not designed for a crystal as fragile and soft as Celestite.

Can Celestite Be in the Sun?

Much like Amethyst, you should avoid placing Celestite in areas where it will be bathed in sunlight for long periods of time.

Just like Amethyst is a naturally colored variety of Clear Quartz, pure Celestite is clear. Your tumbled stone or specimen got its color from Strontium Sulfate impurities within the crystal. 

When you place Celestite in the sun for long periods of time, it will turn into a white Calcite-like crystal as the UV rays break down the impurities and bleach its color.

This is an irreversible process. Once the color is gone, it is gone forever.

What’s worse? Although Celestite is already a fragile material, breaking down the mineral impurities can lead to even more fragility and dehydration. This makes the stone even more prone to breaks and cracks.

Unfortunately, this is also an irreversible trait. In short, store your Celestite tumbled stone or geode crystals in an area where you can enjoy them, but do not leave it exposed to prolonged, intense and direct sunlight.

Is Celestite Toxic?

Celestite is not toxic as a crystal, but some of its inclusions may pose a health risk if ingested or inhaled.

Celestite is a strontium sulphate — which can be toxic if inhaled. This happens if you ground up your Celestite stone and breathe it in. You should also never heat the stone to create fumes or ingest any water that Celestite has soaked in. We certainly would not recommend doing any of those things with Celestite or any other stone or crystal.

By itself, Celestite poses no known toxicity risk when handled, placed on the skin or worn as jewelry. Although there are many different types of allergic reactions among the world’s population, we know of no reported allergic reactions to Celestite.

Where Should Celestite be Placed in the Home?

Celestite is a beautiful crystal that can bring joy to just about any area of your home. But there are a few places where the gemstone is especially useful — and a few where it should not be placed.

Since Celestite can fade and become brittle when exposed to intense sunlight, you should avoid placing it near a window or skylight. 

The strontium sulfate in Celestite is also toxic if inhaled. While this poses no threat at all in its raw or tumbled form, you should not place Celestite in an area where it could be exposed to extreme heat that can create fumes that you breathe in. 

This likely means avoiding areas near a stovetop, fireplace, heater or microwave.

Other than that, Celestite makes a perfect addition to any home — especially in the bedroom.

Celestite has a calming energy that is said to help with bad dreams. This can come in especially handy in a child’s bedroom or near your own bedside. Since Celestite is also thought to aid in Astral Travel, you can use it on your nightstand to promote a deeper, more meaningful sleep with mental calm.

Place Celestite in areas where you can view and interact with the stone regularly. These blue crystals not only help bring about inner peace, but they are sure to put a smile on your face and in your heart.

Interested in Celestite Tumbled?

As with all of our tumbled stones, we hand-pick every piece we sell and only stock the highest quality of tumbled stones available on the market. This is especially important with blue Celestite tabular crystals that can crack or scratch during the tumbling process.

Each piece of Celestite tumbled is sure to bring you happiness and healing, as the soothing blue color is a harbinger of inner peace, mental calm and mental clarity.

Feel free to contact us if you have any further questions about Celestite, our crystal and mineral selection, or if you are interested in purchasing bulk Celestite tumbled by the pound for your home or business.

You will receive one stone, which has a size and shape that may vary due to each stone being unique in color and form. Most stones range between 0.6"-1.2"