Beryllite is a rare beryllium silicate typically found as delicate, needle-like acicular crystals or radiating white sprays. It occurs primarily in alkaline pegmatites and is a prized find for advanced mineral collectors due to its rarity and aesthetic crystal habits.
Is this beryllite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch beryllite with a known reference. Beryllite sits at Mohs 1, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: silky.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: encrustations, fibrous, spherical.
Often confused with
Beryllite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Aragonite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5-4 vs. 1); luster reads silky on Beryllite and vitreous, resinous on fracture surfaces on Aragonite.
How to tell apart: Natrolite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5-5.5 vs. 1); luster reads silky on Beryllite and vitreous to pearly on Natrolite.
Often found alongside beryllite
Minerals reported to co-occur with beryllite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Be₃SiO₄(OH)₂·H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1
- Density
- 2.196 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Silky
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Encrustations, fibrous, spherical
- Cleavage
- Distinct in one direction
- Fluorescence
- Gray green under SW UV
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In alkaline pegmatites
Where rockhounds find beryllite
Classic worldwide localities
- Natrolite Stock pegmatite, Mt. Karnasurt, Lovozero massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In alkaline pegmatites. If you start seeing eudialyte, microcline, aegirine in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: encrustations, fibrous, spherical. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify beryllite?+
Where is beryllite found?+
Is beryllite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like beryllite?+
What minerals are found with beryllite?+
What kind of rock does beryllite form in?+
What is beryllite used for?+
Find beryllite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
