Bowenite is a compact, massive variety of antigorite serpentine that is highly valued by lapidaries for its smooth, waxy luster and attractive apple-green color. It is often mistaken for nephrite jade, though it is significantly softer and easier to carve. Collectors typically find it in massive form within metamorphic serpentinite bodies.
Is this bowenite?
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 bowenite with a known reference. Bowenite sits at Mohs 2.5-5.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Bowenite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Bowenite typically shows a waxy luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: apple green, light green, yellowish green, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Bowenite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside bowenite
Minerals reported to co-occur with bowenite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5-5.5
- Density
- 2.5-2.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Waxy
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Lapidary, Ornamental Stone, Collector
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Serpentinite
- Typical price
- $10-100 for polished specimens, higher for large carvings
Where rockhounds find bowenite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Rhode Island, USA
- New Zealand
- Afghanistan
- China
- Pakistan
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic serpentinite country — that is the host setting where bowenite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, magnetite, chromite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Rhode Island — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find bowenite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
