Specularite is a variety of hematite characterized by its highly reflective, metallic, and platy or micaceous crystal habit. Collectors often look for specimens with brilliant luster that creates a sparkling, mirror-like appearance when moved under light.
Is this specularite?
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 specularite with a known reference. Specularite 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. Streak: cherry-red to reddish-brown.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: steel-gray, iron-black, silvery-gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: tabular crystals, micaceous, foliated aggregates.
Often confused with
Specularite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Specularite leaves cherry-red to reddish-brown, Ilmenite leaves black to reddish brown.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Specularite leaves cherry-red to reddish-brown, Magnetite leaves black.
Often found alongside specularite
Minerals reported to co-occur with specularite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Fe₂O₃
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6.5
- Density
- 5.2-5.3 g/cm³
- Streak
- Cherry-red to reddish-brown
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Tabular crystals, micaceous, foliated aggregates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Decorative
- Host rock
- hydrothermal veins, metamorphic schists, banded iron formations
Where rockhounds find specularite
6 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Island of Elba, Italy
- Cumbria, England
- Marquette Range, Michigan, USA
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: hydrothermal veins, metamorphic schists, banded iron formations. If you start seeing quartz, magnetite, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: tabular crystals, micaceous, foliated aggregates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New Mexico, Utah, Michigan. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify specularite?+
Where is specularite found?+
Can I find specularite in the United States?+
What rocks look like specularite?+
What minerals are found with specularite?+
What kind of rock does specularite form in?+
What is specularite used for?+
Find specularite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
