RocksdayAndradite vs Titanite
How to tell them apart
Calcium iron garnet. Its green gem variety, demantoid, disperses light into colors more strongly than diamond.
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
A calcium titanium silicate famous for wedge-shaped crystals and gems with more fire than diamond.
Photo: Fred Kruijen, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
Quick tests
- Hardness: Andradite is clearly harder: Mohs 6.5–7 versus 5–5.5.
Key differences
- Demantoid is harder and forms rounded crystals.
Side by side
| Property | Andradite | Titanite |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Mineral | Mineral |
| Mohs hardness | 6.5–7 | 5–5.5 |
| Luster | Adamantine to vitreous | Adamantine to resinous |
| Streak | White | White |
| Colors | Green, Yellow, Brown, Black | Yellow, Green, Brown |
| Crystal system | Cubic | Monoclinic |
| Specific gravity | 3.8–3.9 | 3.48–3.6 |
| Formula | Ca₃Fe₂(SiO₄)₃ | CaTiSiO₅ |
| Found in | Ural Mountains, Russia; Namibia | Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan; Madagascar |
Properties that are the same for both are grayed out.
How to identify andradite
- Very bright, almost diamond-like luster.
- Green, yellow, brown or black dodecahedral crystals.
- Hardness 6.5–7.
Crystal system: Cubic
Full Andradite guide →How to identify titanite
- Flattened, wedge- or envelope-shaped crystals.
- Bright, almost diamond-like luster.
- Hardness about 5 — a knife scratches it.
Crystal system: Monoclinic
Full Titanite guide →More comparisons
Could you tell them apart from a blurry close-up?
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