Sugilite is a highly sought-after collector mineral prized for its intense, opaque to translucent royal purple or violet color. It is most commonly found as dense, massive material from South African manganese mines where it forms in hydrothermal environments. Collectors should look for rich, even saturation and minimal black inclusions, which are common impurities.
Is this sugilite?
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 sugilite with a known reference. Sugilite 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: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: light brownish yellow, brownish yellow, violet, reddish violet, pale pink.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: granular, prismatic.
Often confused with
Sugilite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside sugilite
Minerals reported to co-occur with sugilite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- KNa₂Fe₂(Li₃Si₁₂)O₃₀
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6.5
- Density
- 2.74-2.79 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Granular, prismatic
- Cleavage
- {0001}, poor
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector, Lapidary
- Host rock
- In an aegirine-bearing syenite stock in biotite granite (Iwagi Islet, Japan); in bedded manganese deposits (near Kuruman, South Africa)
Where rockhounds find sugilite
Classic worldwide localities
- Iwagi Islet, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
- Wessels and N'Chwaning mines, near Kuruman, Cape Province, South Africa
- Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
- Cerchiara mine, near Faggiona, Liguria, Italy
- An undetermined locality in Madhya Pradesh, India
- Woods mine, 30 km north-northeast of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In an aegirine-bearing syenite stock in biotite granite (Iwagi Islet, Japan); in bedded manganese deposits (near Kuruman, South Africa). If you start seeing albite, aegirine, pectolite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: granular, prismatic. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify sugilite?+
Where is sugilite found?+
What rocks look like sugilite?+
What minerals are found with sugilite?+
What kind of rock does sugilite form in?+
What is sugilite used for?+
Find sugilite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
