Rhodolite is a beautiful rose-red to violet-red variety of garnet that represents an intermediate member of the pyrope-almandine solid solution series. It is highly valued as a gemstone due to its high refractive index and excellent clarity, often found in metamorphic rocks like gneiss or schist.
Is this rhodolite?
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 rhodolite with a known reference. Rhodolite 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. Rhodolite leaves a none streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Rhodolite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, red, purple.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: dodecahedral crystals.
Often confused with
Rhodolite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Rhodolite leaves none, Almandite leaves white.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Rhodolite leaves none, Pyrope leaves white.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Rhodolite leaves none, Spessartine leaves white.
Often found alongside rhodolite
Minerals reported to co-occur with rhodolite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mg₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Density
- 3.84 g/cm³
- Streak
- None
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Dodecahedral Crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks
- Typical price
- $20-200 per carat for faceted stones
Where rockhounds find rhodolite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks country — that is the host setting where rhodolite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, mica, feldspar in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a dodecahedral crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Alabama — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find rhodolite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
