Brazilianite

A chartreuse-yellow phosphate forming sharp, glassy crystals in Brazilian pegmatites.

Brazilianite specimen — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify brazilianite

Yellow-green, glassy, wedge-shaped crystals.
Hardness about 5.5.
Light in weight.

Often confused with

Chrysoberyl
Chrysoberyl is much harder and heavier.
Compare side by side
Apatite
Apatite forms hexagonal prisms.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Minas Gerais, Brazil
New Hampshire

Uses

Collector specimens and gems.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

It was only recognized as a new mineral in 1945, after first being mistaken for chrysoberyl.

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