what's the different between purple mica and lepidolite?

Purple mica is lepidolite; they are not two different things.

What causes the confusion is what we see on the market. When you Google it, three types of mineral pictures often show up. So, what’s the exact difference among these three materials? 

picture 1

 

picture 2

 

picture 3

 

Picture 1 shows the most common form of lepidolite (purple mica) that can be purchased on the market. It is cheap and abundant, with large quantities of mines located worldwide. In this mineral, it’s not only lepidolite (purple mica) that’s present; other minerals also grow alongside it. Here are detailed, zoomed-in pictures of the raw mineral: pictures 1-1 and 1-2.

picture 1-1

picture 1-2

In picture 1-1, you can see tiny, tiny purple mica (lepidolite). There is also white quartz present. In this version, you could think of it as “baby” lepidolite (purple mica) growing alongside other minerals, as it would appear if it hadn’t been mined and was still growing underground. If it continues to grow, it could appear like what’s shown in picture 1-2, where the lepidolite (purple mica) is larger.

In contrast, picture 3 shows pure mica with no other minerals present. It's simply a larger piece of gem lepidolite (purple mica). 

Mica is a naturally occurring mineral that is made up of a group of silicate minerals that are similar in chemical and physical properties .Mica is lightweight, flexible, and heat-resistant, It has a layered structure, and the crystals can be split into thin sheets. Natural mica is usually off-white or brownish. The color of mica depends on the rock it comes from. For example, lepidolite is usually silver, gray, rosy, or purple, while biotite is usually dark green, brown, or black, and phlogopite is usually yellowish-brown or green white. Muscovite is colorless and transparent. 

Lepidolite can be found in a variety of colors, including pink, purple, red, gray, yellow, and colorless. The most common colors are shades of red to purple. Colorless, yellow, blue, and gray lepidolites are rarer and generally less valuable than the pink and purple varieties.