Sweetite is a rare zinc hydroxide mineral found most notably in the Tsumeb mine of Namibia. It typically forms sharp, lustrous, colorless to yellowish bipyramidal crystals that look similar to small wulfenite specimens. Collectors prize it for its rarity and its distinct tetragonal crystal habit.
Is this sweetite?
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 sweetite with a known reference. Sweetite sits at Mohs 3.5, 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: colorless, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: bipyramidal crystals.
Often confused with
Sweetite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Luster reads vitreous on Sweetite and resinous, subadamantine to adamantine on Wulfenite.
How to tell apart: Hemimorphite is the harder of the two (Mohs 4.5-5 vs. 3.5).
How to tell apart: Sweetite is noticeably harder (Mohs 3.5 vs. 2-2.5); luster reads vitreous on Sweetite and pearly, silky to dull or earthy in aggregates on Hydrozincite.
Often found alongside sweetite
Minerals reported to co-occur with sweetite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Zn(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
- Density
- 3.33 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent to transparent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Bipyramidal crystals
- Cleavage
- Distinct on {111}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In an oxidized vein in limestone
Where rockhounds find sweetite
Classic worldwide localities
- Limestone quarry 200-300 m northwest of Milltown, near Ashover, Derbyshire, England (type locality)
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In an oxidized vein in limestone. If you start seeing galena, ashoverite, wülfingite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: bipyramidal crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find sweetite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
