Our glossary for trade names, the names given to rocks and minerals to make them more ‘retail ready’. Trade names are not official mineral names and are not recognised by the IMA.
Please note: the use of a trade name does not necessarily mean these are not valuable or rare, or that they are fake. I have done my best to highlight what these actually are – and whether they are natural, treated, or man-made/synthetic materials.
Natural
Angelite – Trade name for a blue variety of Anhydrite, a calcium sulfate mineral.
Auralite 23 – A quartz variety claimed to contain up to 23 different minerals, often from Canada.
Azezulite – New age name for a type of quartz marketed for metaphysical properties.
Bumblebee Jasper – Actually a mix of sulfur, arsenic minerals, and calcite from Indonesia, not a true jasper. Natural, but misleading.
Calligraphy Stone – Also called Miriam Stone; a fossil-rich limestone with hematite, from India.
Herkimer Diamond – Double-terminated quartz crystals from Herkimer County, New York.
Hilutite – Trade name sometimes used for a rare garnet group mineral mix from Tanzania.
Kambaba Jasper – Actually a fossilized stromatolite (algal colony) rock, often from Madagascar.
Leopardskin Jasper – A spotted variety of rhyolite or orbicular jasper, usually from Mexico.
Mutton Fat Jade – Trade name for creamy white to yellowish Nephrite jade.
New Jade – Typically refers to light green Serpentine, not a true jade.
Picasso Stone / Picasso Marble – A patterned, metamorphosed limestone (marble) from Utah.
Picture Jasper / Picture Stone – A material with landscape-like patterns formed by mineral inclusions. Can be rhyolite, siltstone, or some other materials.
Quantum Quattro – A mix of Shattuckite, Chrysocolla, Dioptase, Malachite, and Smoky Quartz.
Que Sera – A complex rhyolite or feldspathic rock with blue and pink inclusions.
Script Stone – Another name for Calligraphy Stone; fossiliferous limestone with hematite.
Super Seven – Trade name name for quartz containing seven mineral inclusions like rutile, goethite, etc.
Tiffany Stone – Fluorite-rich rock with opal, bertrandite, and other minerals, found in Utah.
Transvaal Jade – Green grossular garnet from South Africa, marketed as jade.
Man-made / synthetic
Cherry Quartz – Man-made glass infused with pink dye to mimic natural quartz.
Fordite – Also known as Detroit Agate; layered automotive paint slag from old car factories.
Opalite – Man-made opalescent glass often mistaken for natural opal.
Treated
Crackle Quartz – Clear quartz that is heat-treated and then rapidly cooled to produce internal cracks.
Turquenite – Dyed Howlite or Magnesite made to resemble turquoise.
If you aren’t sure if something is a mineral or not, my suggestion would be to check with the IMA via the RRUFF project, or check the mindat website for the mineral in question.
Further reading