bues

Bues is a fictional mineral described in worldbuilding and speculative fiction. In these contexts, bues is valued for its luminescent properties, hardness, and potential for use in energy storage. It forms in hydrothermal veins at high pressures, often alongside quartz and other silicates. Crystals are typically blue to azure, with a subtle iridescence that shifts with light. The mineral is described as having a Mohs hardness around 6, a high refractive index, and a lattice that can accommodate charge carriers, making it attractive for theoretical energy applications in stories. Chemical composition is given as a silicate with trace dopants of rare-earth elements that cause glow under moonlight.

Mining of bues is depicted as taking place in rugged mountain regions, using conventional mining methods with careful seam stability due to the mineral's brittle cleavage. Environmental and safety concerns are noted in many depictions, including cave-ins and ore dust. In commerce within these worlds, bues is used for high-quality jewelry and for fabricating components of futuristic energy devices or glass pigments that display blue-green coloration.

Historically in fiction, bues trade links remote quarries to coastal settlements and drives regional economies. The term carries symbolic value as a sign of clarity and endurance in cultural narratives. Etymology is often traced to an imagined ancestral language meaning "bright stone."