Phenakite is a rare beryllium silicate often prized by collectors for its exceptional brilliance and high refractive index. It typically forms clear, glassy, prismatic crystals that are frequently mistaken for quartz or topaz. Collectors should look for its hardness and characteristic trigonal crystal habit to distinguish it from more common colorless minerals.
Is this phenakite?
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 phenakite with a known reference. Phenakite sits at Mohs 7.5-8, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, wine yellow, yellow, pink, pinkish red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: granular, massive.
Often confused with
Phenakite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside phenakite
Minerals reported to co-occur with phenakite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Be₂SiO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5-8
- Density
- 2.93-3.00 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Granular, massive
- Cleavage
- Distinct on {1120}, imperfect on {1011}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector
- Host rock
- In pegmatites, greisens, and alpine and hydrothermal veins
Where rockhounds find phenakite
4 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Florissant, El Paso Co., and on Mt. Antero, Chaffee Co., Colorado, USA
- Bald Face Mountain, North Chatham, Carroll Co., New Hampshire, USA
- Amelia, Amelia Co., Virginia, USA
- Tokovaya River, near Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Ural Mountains, and at Miass, Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia
- Vosges Mountains, at Framont, Alsace, France
- Reckingen, Valais, Switzerland
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In pegmatites, greisens, and alpine and hydrothermal veins. If you start seeing topaz, beryl, chrysoberyl in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: granular, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify phenakite?+
Where is phenakite found?+
Can I find phenakite in the United States?+
Is phenakite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like phenakite?+
What minerals are found with phenakite?+
What kind of rock does phenakite form in?+
What is phenakite used for?+
Find phenakite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
