Yellow calcite bracelet A

A bracelet of yellow calcite beads from Mexico on elastic.

• Bead diameters: 4, 6, 8 or 10 mm
• Bracelet length: 19 cm
• Origin: Mexico
• Elastic mount

This is the softest bracelet we sell — please read this

Calcite is Mohs 3. That is softer than a copper coin, softer than a fingernail is far from, and soft enough that it scratches against almost anything harder than itself — which is almost everything. A calcite bracelet worn alongside a quartz one will be visibly scratched within weeks.

Worse, calcite is calcium carbonate, and it dissolves in acid. Vinegar, lemon juice, citrus cleaners, descaler, cola and even prolonged contact with sweat will etch the polish and leave dull patches. This is not a theoretical caution: it is the single most common way calcite jewellery is ruined.

So treat it as an occasional, careful piece rather than an everyday bracelet. Put it on last, take it off before cooking, cleaning, exercising or washing up, and store it separately from other stones.

Two things worth knowing

Calcite is the mineral that defines 3 on the Mohs scale — the reference point against which everything else is measured.

And a clear variety of it, Iceland spar, shows double refraction so strongly that text viewed through it appears twice. It was used in Victorian optics and it is one of the more startling things a mineral does.

A note on colour: yellow calcite occurs naturally, but calcite is porous and takes dye readily, so vividly coloured calcite beads are frequently dyed. Ask us if it matters to you.

No health claim for any mineral is authorised or supported by evidence, and none should replace medical care.