Rocksday

Prehnite

A pale green silicate that forms bubbly, translucent crusts, often with black epidote needles.

Prehnite specimen
Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify prehnite

  • Pale apple-green to yellowish, translucent.
  • Bubbly, rounded crusts or bow-tie aggregates.
  • Hardness about 6.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Wave Hill, Australia
  • Kayes, Mali
  • Paterson, New Jersey
  • Scotland

Uses

Cabochons and beads.

Rock tumbling

Great for tumbling.

Did you know?

It was named after Hendrik von Prehn, a Dutch colonel who brought it from South Africa.

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