Yellow Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline variety of quartz typically colored by iron impurities. It is highly valued by lapidary artists for its waxy luster and ability to take a high polish, often appearing in botryoidal or banded habits.
Is this yellow chalcedony?
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 yellow chalcedony with a known reference. Yellow Chalcedony sits at Mohs 6.5-7 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Yellow Chalcedony leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Yellow Chalcedony typically shows a waxy luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, golden yellow, mustard yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive, botryoidal, crusts, or cavity linings.
Often confused with
Yellow Chalcedony vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside yellow chalcedony
Minerals reported to co-occur with yellow chalcedony. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5-7
- Density
- 2.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Waxy
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive, Botryoidal, Crusts, Or Cavity Linings
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Lapidary, Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins, Geodes, Volcanic Cavities
- Typical price
- $5-30 for small cabochons or rough specimens
Where rockhounds find yellow chalcedony
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Mexico
- USA
- Madagascar
- Namibia
- Brazil
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins, geodes, volcanic cavities country — that is the host setting where yellow chalcedony typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, calcite, goethite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive, botryoidal, crusts, or cavity linings habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in North Carolina — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify yellow chalcedony?+
Where is yellow chalcedony found?+
Can I find yellow chalcedony in the United States?+
How much is yellow chalcedony worth?+
What rocks look like yellow chalcedony?+
What minerals are found with yellow chalcedony?+
What kind of rock does yellow chalcedony form in?+
What is yellow chalcedony used for?+
Find yellow chalcedony on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
