Background
Coquimbite is a rare hydrated iron aluminum sulfate mineral discovered in 1841 by August Breithaupt in Coquimbo, Chile. It has since been found in several other locations, including Italy, Spain, and the United States. It is a secondary mineral and forms in several colors with yellow, green and brown being the most common. Purple is highly collectible and by far the most beautiful and rare.
It has a hardness of 2.2 on the mohs scale, and this hardness indicator will tell you right off the bat that this is a mineral that needs to stay away from water. However, there are other considerations to keeping your coquimbite healthy, happy, and beautiful for years to come.
Storage
The purity of coquimbite has a strong bearing on how well it ages. Being a sulfate mineral, any impurities will react with oxygen forming sulfuric acid and the specimen can become discolored over time. Sulfuric acid is a corrosive gas, so when you are not meditating, gridding, or otherwise interacting with your coquimbite is best to store it in a closed container made of plastic or glass. It should also be kept out of direct sunlight to avoid fading and temperature changes that might create condensate.
Another consideration for preserving the beauty of coquimbite is to reduce its contact with oxygen over the long term as much as possible, even if the specimen is very pure. A light coating of mineral oil is helpful, and oxygen absorbers (readily available on Amazon, etc.) may be a great solution as well. Depending on the specimen and the environment, it can take a year or more before discoloration or degradation occurs. Basically I would treat it like halite, with a little extra consideration to protect it from oxygen.
NOTE: All coquimbite that I offer in the shop will be packed in a plastic sleeve with an oxygen absorber packet. I do not add mineral oil or other coatings to the offerings in my shop, but you may want to consider that option for your personal specimens.
This thread on Mindat is interesting and informative.
Metaphysical Properties
Now that the technical stuff is out of the way and you know how to keep your coquimbite happy and beautiful, let's get to the good part. This is an absolutely wonderful stone for meditation and spiritual development! A quick google reveals a general consensus that it excels at connecting us with our spirit guides. It is said to promote harmony and provide valuable insight for the processing of thoughts and emotions. It relates primarily to the third eye and crown chakras, however, it is said to promote balance within all chakras. This makes sense to me because balancing and harmonizing the entire system allows us to receive the guidance we are ready for and integrate it in a useful way in our physical world.
My personal experience is that coquimbite has a wonderfully high vibration, peaceful and soothing. I could feel my higher chakras (above the crown) coming online and infusing my whole system, just by looking at it and admiring its beautiful purple sparkles. Overall my impression is that "harmonizing" is the perfect word to describe its energies. Since it is bringing the higher chakras into play it also stands to reason that guidance will be more readily received.
Coquimbite is a beautiful mineral to expand our work with the sacred purple flame. It adds a purity and sweetness all its own. With a little mindfulness and care it will remain beautiful indefinitely.
As always --a reminder that crystals are not a substitute for appropriate medical care. Disclaimer