Elbaite is the lithium-bearing member of the tourmaline group, famous for its intense, vivid colors and complex multi-colored crystals. It is highly prized by collectors for its long, striatied prismatic crystals that often display a color-zoned 'watermelon' pattern.
Is this elbaite?
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 elbaite with a known reference. Elbaite sits at Mohs 7-7.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Elbaite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Elbaite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, pink, blue, red, yellow, colorless, multicolored.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-sections, often vertically striated.
Often confused with
Elbaite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside elbaite
Minerals reported to co-occur with elbaite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na(Li₁₋₁.₅Al₁.₅₋₁)Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃(OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Density
- 3.0-3.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Rounded Triangular Cross-sections, Often Vertically Striated
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector
- Host rock
- Granite Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $20-100 per gram for gem rough, high-end cabinet specimens $500-5000+
Where rockhounds find elbaite
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Nuristan, Afghanistan
- San Diego County, USA
- Elba, Italy
- Antsirabe, Madagascar
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite pegmatites country — that is the host setting where elbaite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, microcline, albite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-sections, often vertically striated habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Maine, Wisconsin — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify elbaite?+
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Find elbaite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
