Calcite derives its name from the Greek word "chalix" meaning "lime" because it is often found in limestone and marble. It is one of the most common minerals on earth (the other being quartz) that can occur in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks and can be found in many different geological environments.
This ubiquitous mineral comes in a wide variety of colors ranging from white or colorless to red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, brown, black, and gray. There are over 300 identified forms of crystals that then can also combine to create hundreds more crystal variations. Calcite's cleavage is perfect in three directions, creating rhombohedrons.
