Wernerite is a common member of the scapolite group, often identified by its characteristic blocky, prismatic crystals with a splintery appearance. Collectors prize it for its strong, often vibrant yellow or orange fluorescence under long-wave and short-wave UV light. It is frequently found in high-grade metamorphic terrains associated with calcium-rich rocks.
Is this wernerite?
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 wernerite with a known reference. Wernerite sits at Mohs 5.5-6 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Wernerite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Wernerite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, gray, yellow, green, pink.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Wernerite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside wernerite
Minerals reported to co-occur with wernerite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Na,Ca)₄(Al,Si)₁₂(O,Cl,CO₃,SO₄)₂₄
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6
- Density
- 2.6-2.7 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Massive, Granular
- Cleavage
- Distinct Prismatic
- Fluorescence
- Often Fluorescent Yellow or Orange Under UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks Like Skarns, Marbles, And Gneisses
- Typical price
- $10-100 for specimens, higher for facet grade
Where rockhounds find wernerite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Quebec, Canada
- Ontario, Canada
- Franklin, New Jersey, USA
- Mogok, Myanmar
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks like skarns, marbles, and gneisses country — that is the host setting where wernerite typically forms. If you start seeing diopside, garnet, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, massive, granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New York — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find wernerite on the map
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