Parisite is a rare mineral composed of cerium, lanthanum and calcium fluoro-carbonate. It is found as crystals which belong to the trigonal or monoclinic pseudo-hexagonal system and may form as single or double pyramids terminated by the basal planes. The faces of the pyramids are typically striated horizontally and parallel to the cleavable basal plane. The crystals are brown to light-brown in color and usually translucent with a greasy lustre. The hardness is 4.5 and the specific gravity is 4.36
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| Known Facts |
| Color Key: |
Brown, brownish yellow, gray-yellow, grayish yellow, yellow, waxy yellow, colourless to yellow in transmitted light |
| Refractive Index: |
1.676 - 1.757 |
| Hardness: |
4.50 |
| Density: |
4.34 - 4.38 |
| Crystal Group: |
Monoclinic |
| Ocurrence: |
Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Italy, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam
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The first known occurrence of this mineral was in the famous emerald mine at Muzo in Colombia, South America, where it was found and named after J.J. Paris who worked the mine in the early part of the 19th century.
Parisite is uniaxial positive and brittle.
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