Minerals from Finland

Finland has a strong tradition of mining and geology, though it is better known for specific mineral types than for widespread specimen production.

The most notable locality is probably the Viitaniemi pegmatite in the Eräjärvi region, which has produced a range of phosphate minerals and beryl. Specimens of elbaite tourmaline have been found here, often in green or pink hues, though they are not common on the market. Microlite, tantalite, and other rare pegmatite species have also been reported.

Quartz, feldspar, and smoky quartz are relatively widespread, with good crystals occasionally found in granite pegmatites. Some areas also produce well-formed garnets, especially almandine.

Finland has also produced native gold from several localities, particularly in Lapland. While most of this has been extracted for bullion, small crystalline specimens and gold-in-quartz material can sometimes be found, typically from older collections.

More recently, Finland has gained attention for its lithium reserves, with spodumene-bearing pegmatites under active exploration. While these are primarily of industrial interest, specimen-quality crystals do occasionally surface.

Finland is the type locality for around 40 minerals, mostly uncommon or rare and relatively unheard of minerals, perhaps best of interest to systematic collectors.

Probably my favourite species from the country is the dark green Uvarovite Garnet from North Karelia, which are some of the best in the world.

There is also the fine anorthite from the Ylämaa area; what most people would call Labradorite or spectrolite; often even better than the Madagascan material.

Labels may sometimes use Swedish or historical locality names, depending on the age of the specimen or collection.

Finland