Identification guide · Minerals
How to Identify Danburite
Danburite crystals are typically prismatic with a wedge-shaped termination, showing a vitreous luster, a white streak, and colors that range from colorless to pale yellow, brown, or pink. Hardness of 7 to 7.5 is close to topaz, but danburite lacks topaz's perfect basal cleavage, breaking instead with an uneven to subconchoidal fracture, which is the most reliable way to separate the two in hand specimen. Its orthorhombic prisms often show fine vertical striations along their length, another useful clue when distinguishing it from quartz or topaz.
Danburite identification checklist
| Color | Colorless, Pale yellow, Brownish yellow, Pink | Look at a clean, dry surface in daylight. Color zoning, banding or spots are as diagnostic as the hue. |
|---|---|---|
| Luster | Vitreous | Fresh surfaces shine like glass; a dull surface usually means weathering, so chip or wet a corner. |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent | Hold a thin edge up to a bright light and note whether light passes through. |
| Mohs hardness | 7–7.5 | It scratches glass and a steel knife and cannot be scratched by a steel file. |
| Streak | White | Drag a corner across unglazed porcelain (the back of a bathroom tile) and check the powder color. |
| Cleavage | Poor, indistinct basal | |
| Fracture | Conchoidal | Broken surfaces show smooth, curved, shell-like scoops. |
| Specific gravity | 2.97–3.02 | Ordinary rock-like heft (specific gravity about 2.995), similar to quartz. |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
Extra tests for Danburite
Glass check. Danburite shares a glassy luster and conchoidal fracture with man-made glass. Glass sits near Mohs 5.5 and often contains round gas bubbles, so a hardness test and a hand lens separate them.
Danburite look-alikes and how to tell them apart
Both sit near Mohs 7–7.5, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Danburite vs Quartz →
Danburite is harder (Mohs 7–7.5) than Calcite (Mohs 3), so Danburite will scratch Calcite and not the other way round. A copper coin (Mohs 3.5) scratches it, but a fingernail does not. Danburite vs Calcite →
Both sit near Mohs 7–7.5, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Danburite vs Beryl →
Chrysoberyl is harder (Mohs 8.5) than Danburite (Mohs 7–7.5), so Chrysoberyl will scratch Danburite and not the other way round. It scratches glass and a steel knife and cannot be scratched by a steel file.
Danburite identification FAQ
How can you tell if a rock is Danburite?
Check the color (colorless, pale yellow, brownish yellow, and pink), the vitreous luster, a Mohs hardness of 7–7.5 and a white streak. Photographing it with the StoneSnap app gives a match in seconds.
What is the hardness of Danburite?
Danburite has a Mohs hardness of 7–7.5. It scratches glass and a steel knife and cannot be scratched by a steel file.
What is the difference between Danburite and Quartz?
Danburite (Mohs 7–7.5, vitreous luster) and Quartz (Mohs 7, vitreous, greasy on fracture surfaces luster) look alike, but hardness, streak and heft usually separate them. See the full Danburite vs Quartz comparison for a side-by-side table.
Is Danburite worth anything?
Entry-level Danburite specimens sell for around $2, typical collector pieces about $20, and premium examples $150 or more depending on size, quality and locality.
What color is Danburite?
Danburite is most often colorless, pale yellow, brownish yellow, and pink. Color varies with impurities and locality, so confirm with hardness and luster rather than color alone.
