From the Greek ""apatē""—meaning ""deceit."" Named for being persistently mistaken for tourmaline, aquamarine, and fluorite.
A calcium phosphate mineral. The same chemical composition as human teeth and bone. The substance that forms our own body, crystallised in blue beneath the earth.
Found in Madagascar, Brazil, and Myanmar. At Mohs hardness 5, it is relatively soft and requires careful handling. Named for deception, yet its chemistry holds the most straightforward fact of all.