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, 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.
