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Shiny Yellow Rocks & Minerals

A shiny yellow rock is one of the most common identification questions. The shine is the first clue: 14 of the 97 candidates below have a true metallic luster (Pyrite, Astrophyllite, and Brass), while 67 are glassy like broken bottle glass (Citrine, Peridot, and Ametrine).

Metallic-looking stones are usually sulfides, oxides or native metals and feel heavy; glassy ones are typically silicates, quartz varieties or volcanic glass. Hardness and streak settle most cases.

Also browse:Shiny black rocksShiny white rocksShiny gray rocksShiny brown rocksShiny green rocksShiny pink rocksShiny red rocksShiny blue rocksShiny purple rocksShiny orange rocks

Metallic shiny yellow rocks (14)

Pyrite specimen: brass yellow and pale gold mineralPyriteMohs 6.5 · metallic · commonAstrophyllite specimen: golden-yellow and bronze mineralAstrophylliteMohs 3–3.5 · Vitreous to pearly/submetallic sheen · commonBrass specimen: yellow gold and brass yellow metalBrassMohs 3.5 · metallic · commonChalcopyrite specimen: brass yellow and golden yellow mineralChalcopyriteMohs 3.5–4 · Metallic · commonGold specimen: gold and yellow mineralGoldMohs 2.5 · metallic · legendaryMarcasite specimen: pale brass yellow and tin white mineralMarcasiteMohs 6 · metallic · commonRose Gold specimen: rose gold and pink gold metalRose GoldMohs 3 · metallic · commonAura Quartz specimen: iridescent and blue materialAura QuartzMohs 7 · metallic · commonArsenopyrite specimen: silver-white and steel-gray mineralArsenopyriteMohs 5.5–6 · Metallic · commonBismuth specimen: silvery white and pinkish iridescent tarnish (yellow, red, blue hues) mineralBismuthMohs 2–2.5 · Metallic · commonBronze specimen: brown and bronze metalBronzeMohs 3 · metallic · commonCassiterite specimen: brown and black mineralCassiteriteMohs 6–7 · Adamantine to submetallic · commonNickel specimen: silver and gray metalNickelMohs 4 · metallic · commonWhite Gold specimen: white silver and pale gold metalWhite GoldMohs 3 · metallic · common

Glassy shiny yellow rocks (67)

Citrine specimen: yellow and orange crystalCitrineMohs 7 · vitreous · uncommonPeridot specimen: yellow-green and olive green gemstonePeridotMohs 6.5 · vitreous · uncommonAmetrine specimen: purple and yellow bicolor zoning mineralAmetrineMohs 7 · Vitreous · commonAndradite specimen: yellow-green (demantoid) and brown mineralAndraditeMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous to resinous/adamantine · commonChrysoberyl specimen: yellow and greenish-yellow mineralChrysoberylMohs 8.5 · Vitreous · commonForsterite specimen: pale yellow-green and olive green mineralForsteriteMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous · commonSiderite specimen: yellowish brown and brown mineralSideriteMohs 4 · vitreous · commonDiamond specimen: colorless and yellow gemstoneDiamondMohs 10 · adamantine · legendaryEmerald specimen: green and bluish green gemstoneEmeraldMohs 7.5 · vitreous · legendarySapphire specimen: blue and pink gemstoneSapphireMohs 9 · adamantine · rareLabradorite specimen: gray and blue flash mineralLabradoriteMohs 6 · vitreous · commonLapis Lazuli specimen: deep blue and blue mineralLapis LazuliMohs 5.5 · vitreous · uncommonRainbow Obsidian specimen: black with rainbow sheen and purple igneous rockRainbow ObsidianMohs 5.5 · vitreous · uncommonFluorite specimen: purple and green mineralFluoriteMohs 4 · vitreous · commonTopaz specimen: colorless and blue gemstoneTopazMohs 8 · vitreous · uncommonJasper specimen: red and yellow mineralJasperMohs 7 · vitreous · commonOpalite specimen: milky white and blue materialOpaliteMohs 5.5 · vitreous · commonZircon specimen: colorless and blue gemstoneZirconMohs 7.5 · adamantine · uncommonGoldstone specimen: copper and brown materialGoldstoneMohs 5.5 · vitreous · commonCalcite specimen: colorless and white mineralCalciteMohs 3 · vitreous · commonApatite specimen: green and blue mineralApatiteMohs 5 · Vitreous to subresinous · commonApophyllite specimen: colorless and white mineralApophylliteMohs 4.5–5 · Vitreous, pearly on cleavage · commonAragonite specimen: colorless and white mineralAragoniteMohs 3.5–4 · Vitreous to resinous · commonAxinite specimen: clove-brown and violet-brown mineralAxiniteMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous · commonBaryte specimen: colorless and white mineralBaryteMohs 3–3.5 · Vitreous, pearly on cleavage · commonBeryl specimen: green (emerald) and blue (aquamarine) mineralBerylMohs 7.5–8 · Vitreous · commonBrucite specimen: white and pale green mineralBruciteMohs 2.5 · vitreous · uncommonChabazite specimen: white and colorless mineralChabaziteMohs 4–5 · Vitreous · commonColemanite specimen: colorless and white mineralColemaniteMohs 4–4.5 · Vitreous, adamantine on cleavage faces · commonCordierite specimen: blue and violet-blue mineralCordieriteMohs 7–7.5 · Vitreous · commonCorundum specimen: red (ruby) and blue (sapphire) mineralCorundumMohs 9 · Adamantine to vitreous · commonDanburite specimen: colorless and pale yellow mineralDanburiteMohs 7–7.5 · Vitreous · commonDatolite specimen: colorless and white mineralDatoliteMohs 5–5.5 · Vitreous, slightly greasy · commonDiaspore specimen: colorless and white mineralDiasporeMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous to pearly on cleavage · commonDunite specimen: olive green and yellowish green igneous rockDuniteMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous (olivine grains) · commonEpidote specimen: pistachio green and yellowish green mineralEpidoteMohs 6–7 · Vitreous · commonEudialyte specimen: red and pink mineralEudialyteMohs 5–5.5 · Vitreous to greasy · commonGrossular specimen: colorless and green mineralGrossularMohs 6.5–7.5 · Vitreous to resinous · commonHemimorphite specimen: white and colorless mineralHemimorphiteMohs 4.5–5 · Vitreous, silky when fibrous · commonHessonite specimen: orange-brown and cinnamon mineralHessoniteMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous to resinous · commonHeulandite specimen: white and colorless mineralHeulanditeMohs 3.5–4 · Vitreous, pearly on cleavage · commonJadeite specimen: green and white gemstoneJadeiteMohs 6.75 · vitreous · rareLeucite specimen: white and gray mineralLeuciteMohs 5.75 · vitreous · uncommonMagnesite specimen: white and gray mineralMagnesiteMohs 4 · vitreous · commonNatrolite specimen: colorless and white mineralNatroliteMohs 5.5 · vitreous · uncommonNepheline specimen: colorless and white mineralNephelineMohs 6 · vitreous · uncommonOlivine specimen: olive green and yellowish green mineralOlivineMohs 6.5–7 · Vitreous · commonOrthoclase specimen: colorless and white mineralOrthoclaseMohs 6 · vitreous · commonPeridotite specimen: green and dark green igneous rockPeridotiteMohs 5.5–7 · Vitreous (olivine and pyroxene grains) · commonPrasiolite specimen: green and pale green gemstonePrasioliteMohs 7 · vitreous · uncommonPrehnite specimen: green and yellow-green mineralPrehniteMohs 6.25 · vitreous · uncommonQuartz specimen: colorless and white crystalQuartzMohs 7 · Vitreous, greasy on fracture surfaces · commonQuartzite specimen: white and gray metamorphic rockQuartziteMohs 7 · Vitreous to sugary/granular · commonRutile specimen: reddish brown and black mineralRutileMohs 6.5 · adamantine · commonScapolite specimen: white and pink mineralScapoliteMohs 6 · vitreous · uncommonSchist specimen: silver-gray and golden (mica-rich) metamorphic rockSchistMohs 2.5–7 · Vitreous to silky/glittery (mica-rich) · commonSillimanite specimen: white and gray mineralSillimaniteMohs 7 · vitreous · uncommonSmithsonite specimen: blue green and green mineralSmithsoniteMohs 4.5 · vitreous · uncommonSpessartine specimen: orange and red mineralSpessartineMohs 7 · vitreous · uncommonSpodumene specimen: pink and lilac mineralSpodumeneMohs 6.75 · vitreous · uncommonStilbite specimen: white and pink mineralStilbiteMohs 3.75 · vitreous · commonSugilite specimen: purple and violet mineralSugiliteMohs 6 · vitreous · rareSunstone specimen: orange and red gemstoneSunstoneMohs 6.5 · vitreous · uncommonTitanite specimen: green and yellow mineralTitaniteMohs 5.5 · adamantine · uncommonVesuvianite specimen: green and brown mineralVesuvianiteMohs 6.5 · vitreous · uncommonWavellite specimen: green and yellow mineralWavelliteMohs 3.75 · vitreous · uncommonWulfenite specimen: orange and yellow mineralWulfeniteMohs 3 · adamantine · uncommon

Waxy, silky or pearly shiny yellow rocks (16)

Amber specimen: yellow and orange gemstoneAmberMohs 2.5 · resinous · uncommonTiger's Eye specimen: golden brown and yellow mineralTiger's EyeMohs 7 · silky · commonMookaite specimen: yellow and red sedimentary rockMookaiteMohs 6.5 · waxy · uncommonMimetite specimen: yellow and orange mineralMimetiteMohs 3.75 · resinous · uncommonOrpiment specimen: lemon yellow and golden yellow mineralOrpimentMohs 1.75 · resinous · uncommonSulfur specimen: yellow and bright yellow mineralSulfurMohs 2 · resinous · commonPearl specimen: white and cream gemstonePearlMohs 3 · pearly · uncommonFire Agate specimen: brown and orange mineralFire AgateMohs 7 · waxy · uncommonPhlogopite specimen: brown and yellow mineralPhlogopiteMohs 2.75 · pearly · commonPyromorphite specimen: green and yellow-green mineralPyromorphiteMohs 3.75 · resinous · uncommonPyrophyllite specimen: white and gray mineralPyrophylliteMohs 1.5 · pearly · commonSerpentine specimen: green and yellowish green mineralSerpentineMohs 3.5 · greasy · commonSerpentinite specimen: green and dark green metamorphic rockSerpentiniteMohs 2.5–4 · Greasy, waxy, silky · commonSphalerite specimen: brown and black mineralSphaleriteMohs 3.75 · resinous · commonVanadinite specimen: red and orange mineralVanadiniteMohs 3 · resinous · uncommonVariscite specimen: green and blue-green mineralVarisciteMohs 4 · waxy · uncommon

Frequently asked questions

Is my shiny yellow rock a meteorite?

Almost never. Meteorites are rare, heavy, magnetic and usually have a dull dark fusion crust rather than a bright shine. Shiny yellow finds are far more likely to be Tiger's Eye, Pyrite, and Ametrine.

How can I tell a metallic rock from a glassy one?

Metallic luster reflects light like polished metal and the stone is opaque even at thin edges; glassy (vitreous) luster looks like glass and thin edges often let light through. Metallic minerals also tend to leave a colored streak on unglazed porcelain.

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