Hessite is a rare silver telluride mineral often found in low-temperature hydrothermal veins. It is characterized by its dull lead-gray to black color, metallic luster, and high density, often occurring as coatings or fine granular masses associated with other tellurides and native gold.
Is this hessite?
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 hessite with a known reference. Hessite sits at Mohs 2-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: light gray.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: lead gray, steel gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: euhedral crystals, granular.
Often confused with
Hessite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hessite leaves light gray, Acanthite leaves black.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hessite leaves light gray, Galena leaves lead-gray.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hessite leaves light gray, Tetradymite leaves pale steel-gray.
Often found alongside hessite
Minerals reported to co-occur with hessite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ag₂Te
- Mohs hardness
- 2-3
- Density
- 8.24-8.45 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Light gray
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Euhedral crystals, granular
- Cleavage
- {100}, indistinct
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of silver
- Host rock
- In hydrothermal medium- and low-temperature veins; also in small quantities in some massive pyrite deposits
Where rockhounds find hessite
Classic worldwide localities
- Gold Hill, Boulder Co., and in the Eagle mine, Gilman district, Eagle Co., Colorado, USA
- Stanislaus mine, Carson Hill district, Calaveras Co., California, USA
- McAlpine mine, Sonora, and the Jamestown mine, Tuolumne Co., California, USA
- Nevada City, Nevada Co., California, USA
- Săcărı̂mb (Nagyág) (type locality), Băiţa (Rézbánya), and in exceptional crystals and masses from Boteş, near Zlatna, Romania
- Zavodinskii mine, near Ziryanovsk, Altai Mountains, Kazakhstan
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In hydrothermal medium- and low-temperature veins; also in small quantities in some massive pyrite deposits. If you start seeing calaverite, sylvanite, altaite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: euhedral crystals, granular. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify hessite?+
Where is hessite found?+
Is hessite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like hessite?+
What minerals are found with hessite?+
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Find hessite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
