Haüyne

Brilliant blue grains found in some volcanic rocks — among the most vivid blues in nature.

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

How to identify haüyne

Tiny electric-blue grains in volcanic rock.
Rarely larger than a few millimeters.
Hardness about 6.

Often confused with

Lazurite
Lazurite is massive, in marble, and less transparent.
Compare side by side
Sodalite
Sodalite is massive, royal blue and veined with white.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Eifel, Germany
Monte Vulture, Italy

Uses

Collector specimens and tiny gems.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

It's named after René Just Haüy, the father of modern crystallography.

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