Nuwaite is an extremely rare nickel-tin alloy discovered in meteoritic material from Greenland. It typically occurs as microscopic grains within metallic assemblages and is primarily of interest to advanced mineralogists and meteorite collectors.
Is this nuwaite?
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 nuwaite with a known reference. Nuwaite sits at Mohs 3.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Nuwaite leaves a black streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Nuwaite typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: grains.
Often confused with
Nuwaite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Maucherite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5 vs. 3.5); streak differs — Nuwaite leaves black, Maucherite leaves greyish-black.
How to tell apart: Breithauptite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5 vs. 3.5); streak differs — Nuwaite leaves black, Breithauptite leaves red-brown.
Often found alongside nuwaite
Minerals reported to co-occur with nuwaite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ni₈Sn₃
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
- Density
- 4.8 g/cm³
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Grains
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Meteoritic Material
- Typical price
- $100-500+ per specimen
Where rockhounds find nuwaite
Classic worldwide localities
- Nuugaatsiaq, Greenland
Field-hunting tip
Look in meteoritic material country — that is the host setting where nuwaite typically forms. If you start seeing troilite, iron, cohenite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a grains habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find nuwaite on the map
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