Rose Muscovite is a rare pink-tinted variety of muscovite mica, colored by trace amounts of impurities. Collectors prize it for its unique soft pink color and characteristic perfect micaceous cleavage that allows it to peel into thin, flexible, transparent sheets.
Is this rose muscovite?
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 rose muscovite with a known reference. Rose Muscovite sits at Mohs 2.5-3, 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 to pearly.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, rose-red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: tabular, micaceous sheets, scaly masses.
Often confused with
Rose Muscovite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside rose muscovite
Minerals reported to co-occur with rose muscovite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5-3
- Density
- 2.76-3.00 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous to pearly
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular, micaceous sheets, scaly masses
- Cleavage
- Perfect basal
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- granite pegmatites
Where rockhounds find rose muscovite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- USA
- Russia
- Madagascar
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: granite pegmatites. If you start seeing quartz, microcline, tourmaline in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: tabular, micaceous sheets, scaly masses. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New Mexico. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify rose muscovite?+
Where is rose muscovite found?+
Can I find rose muscovite in the United States?+
What rocks look like rose muscovite?+
What minerals are found with rose muscovite?+
What kind of rock does rose muscovite form in?+
What is rose muscovite used for?+
Find rose muscovite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
