Scheelite, Fluorite, Calcite - Yxsjöberg Mine, Ljusnarsberg, Västmanland, Sweden

Contributed by: Mark Cole
Date: Apr 7th, 2026
Locality: Yxsjöberg Mine, Yxsjö ore field, Ljusnarsberg, Örebro County, Sweden (See on Mindat)
Size: 3 x 2 x 4 inches
Weight: 21 oz

Description:
Yxsjoberg is a skarn-hosted tungsten-copper-beryllium deposit located in the Bergslagen mining district in south-central Sweden. The earliest records of mining at Yxsjoberg date back to the 18th and 19th centuries when the deposit was mined for copper. Scheelite was first identified in 1862, and tungsten was mined between 1918 and 1921. The mine was reopened several times since, mined for scheelite and fluorite. It was permanently closed in 1963 and flooded.

Under MW the scheelite fluoresces yellow and is quite striking. Add some longwave to bring out the fluorite and it\'s an amazing color blast. Under SW the scheelite is the typical bright blue/white. Longwave, of course, brings out the fluorite but there is still a yellow reaction in the scheelite. The ID label that came with this specimen calls out diopside but I don\'t see it.

The last two pictures show another excellent example of a rather pure scheelite from this same mine - photos and specimen courtesy Howie Green (MW and SW).

Originally posted by Mark Cole on Nature's Rainbows in 2018.