Minerals are used in everyday life and in almost everything we do. From the production of the plastic of the toothbrushes we use to brush our teeth in the morning, to the petrol we put in our cars. Minerals touch our lives throughout the day and in many different ways. Fluorite is no exception. This mineral is used in many different industries around the world and has been important to our daily lives in one form or another since its discovery, which can be dated back to prehistoric times. Although it is not one of the most abundant minerals on the planet, it can be found in many different places and environments around the world. But what is fluorite? In what kind of environments does it exist and where can it be found today? What uses does such a common mineral have? Fluorite was named by Carlo Antonio Galeani Napione in the year 1797. Over the years it has been known by many names, clax fluorata and spatum vitreum to name a few. Today we simply call it fluorite. Its name comes from the Latin word fluere, meaning “to flow,” due to its low melting point compared to other Napione rocks and elements collected with raw fluorite samples. It is a halide mineral composed of calcium and fluorine (CaF2). Small amounts of yttrium and cerium are known to act as calcium substitutes. Fluorite is found in the isometric crystal system in the hexoctahedral class 4⁄m 3 ̅ 2⁄m, which means it has a relatively high symmetry. It is usually found in cubic habit, although it can also be found as octahedral, dodecahedral, or massive aggregates. Penetration twinning is also common among fluorite crystals [INSERT PHOTO HERE]. It can come in a variety of colors such as purple, blue, green, yellow, brown, bluish-black, pink, ... in the center of the card. .....d the fact that it is widely exhibited in museums. Many people will confuse purple fluorite with amethyst at first glance. However, amethyst, the purple quartz, is much harder and has a very different cleavage than fluorite. It's funny to think that something dug out of the ground could be so important to everyday life. Fluorite is an excellent example of how important minerals really are to the way we live. Without them we wouldn't have the plastic that makes up our cars and our tablets. We wouldn't have the glasses and lenses that we use every day through our smartphones. We wouldn't even have the gas we put in our cars that takes us on different adventures every day. It will undoubtedly continue to play a significant role in our lives as we move forward, discovering new technologies. We may yet find new uses for fluorite, just as we have for centuries.