Rhodonite is a manganese silicate mineral easily recognized by its distinctive rose-pink color, often streaked with black dendritic inclusions of manganese oxide. It typically occurs in massive or granular forms and is highly valued by lapidary artists for creating polished cabochons and decorative carvings.
Is this rhodonite?
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 rhodonite with a known reference. Rhodonite sits at Mohs 5.5-6.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Rhodonite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Rhodonite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, reddish-pink, brown, black.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: massive, granular, tabular crystals.
Often confused with
Rhodonite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside rhodonite
Minerals reported to co-occur with rhodonite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- MnSiO₃
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6.5
- Density
- 3.5-3.7 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Massive, Granular, Tabular Crystals
- Cleavage
- Perfect Prismatic
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Lapidary, Collector, Decorative, Gemstone
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks
- Typical price
- $5-30 for tumbled stones, $50-300+ for high-quality display specimens.
Where rockhounds find rhodonite
15 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Franklin, New Jersey, USA
- Ural Mountains, Russia
- Broken Hill, Australia
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- British Columbia, Canada
U.S. states with rhodonite
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce rhodonite.
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks country — that is the host setting where rhodonite typically forms. If you start seeing manganite, tephroite, galena in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive, granular, tabular crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in California, Idaho, Massachusetts — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify rhodonite?+
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Can I find rhodonite in the United States?+
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Find rhodonite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
