Chrysoprase is a highly valued green variety of chalcedony that owes its distinct color to the presence of nickel. It typically occurs as massive or botryoidal formations and is most prized when displaying an intense, even apple-green hue.
Is this chrysoprase?
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 chrysoprase with a known reference. Chrysoprase sits at Mohs 6.5-7 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Chrysoprase leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Chrysoprase typically shows a vitreous to waxy luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: apple green, emerald green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive, reniform, botryoidal.
Often confused with
Chrysoprase vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Luster reads vitreous to waxy on Chrysoprase and vitreous to pearly on Jadeite.
How to tell apart: Luster reads vitreous to waxy on Chrysoprase and waxy on Nephrite.
How to tell apart: Luster reads vitreous to waxy on Chrysoprase and vitreous on Prehnite.
Often found alongside chrysoprase
Minerals reported to co-occur with chrysoprase. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5-7
- Density
- 2.58-2.64 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous to Waxy
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive, Reniform, Botryoidal
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Gemstone, Lapidary, Decorative
- Host rock
- Nickel-bearing Serpentinite Weathering Crusts
- Typical price
- $10-100 per carat for high-quality material
Where rockhounds find chrysoprase
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Queensland, Australia
- Szklary, Poland
- Kazakhstan
- California, USA
- Madagascar
Field-hunting tip
Look in nickel-bearing serpentinite weathering crusts country — that is the host setting where chrysoprase typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, magnesite, nontronite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive, reniform, botryoidal habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in North Carolina — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find chrysoprase on the map
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