Owyheeite is a rare lead-silver-antimony sulfosalt that typically presents as delicate, hair-like or acicular needles in metallic silver-gray tones. It is best identified by its association with galena and quartz in hydrothermal veins, often appearing as fibrous masses or matted clusters.
Is this owyheeite?
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 owyheeite with a known reference. Owyheeite sits at Mohs 2.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Owyheeite leaves a gray-black streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Owyheeite typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: steel-gray, silver-white, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: acicular crystals, fibrous, massive.
Often confused with
Owyheeite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside owyheeite
Minerals reported to co-occur with owyheeite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pb₇Ag₂Sb₆S₁₅
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Density
- 6.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- Gray-black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular Crystals, Fibrous, Massive
- Cleavage
- Poor
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $20-150 per specimen depending on size and quality
Where rockhounds find owyheeite
Classic worldwide localities
- Owyhee County, Idaho, USA
- Potosi, Bolivia
- Broken Hill, Australia
- Freiberg, Germany
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where owyheeite typically forms. If you start seeing galena, sphalerite, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a acicular crystals, fibrous, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find owyheeite on the map
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