Georgia State Mineral & Gem: Staurolite, Quartz

Georgia's state mineral is staurolite, adopted in 1976. Georgia's state gem is quartz, adopted in 1976. Georgia's state fossil is the shark tooth, adopted in 1976.

Symbol names and dates are taken from primary state sources linked below. Informal or proposed symbols are not listed unless adopted.

Staurolite specimen — Staurolite (not necessarily from Georgia). Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

State mineral: Staurolite

Adopted:: 1976
Law:: O.C.G.A. § 50-3-59; Ga. L. 1976, p. 567

Staurolite is a mineral with a Mohs hardness of 7–7.5 and a vitreous to resinous luster, usually brown.

How to identify staurolite →

Often confused with: Andalusite, Garnet

Quartz specimen — Quartz (not necessarily from Georgia). Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

State gem: Quartz

Adopted:: 1976
Law:: O.C.G.A. § 50-3-57; Ga. L. 1976, p. 567

Quartz is a mineral (SiO₂) with a Mohs hardness of 7 and a vitreous luster, usually colorless, white or gray.

How to identify quartz →

Often confused with: Albite, Apophyllite, Beryl

Also an official symbol of: Alabama, Arkansas

State fossil: Shark tooth

Adopted:: 1976
Law:: O.C.G.A. § 50-3-56; Ga. L. 1976, p. 567

Georgia state symbols FAQ

What is the state mineral of Georgia?

Georgia's state mineral is staurolite, adopted in 1976 (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-59; Ga. L. 1976, p. 567).

What is the state gem of Georgia?

Georgia's state gem is quartz, adopted in 1976 (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-57; Ga. L. 1976, p. 567).

What is the state fossil of Georgia?

Georgia's state fossil is the shark tooth, adopted in 1976 (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-56; Ga. L. 1976, p. 567).

Sources

We cite primary sources (statutes, state government pages, federal regulations, and land-manager sites). Third-party listicles are not used as citations.

O.C.G.A. § 50-3-59, Official mineral (staurolite) — Georgia Code (mirror of O.C.G.A.; sos.ga.gov blocks scripts) (accessed 2026-10-26).
O.C.G.A. § 50-3-57, Official gem (quartz) — Georgia Code (mirror of O.C.G.A.; sos.ga.gov blocks scripts) (accessed 2026-10-26).
O.C.G.A. § 50-3-56, Official fossil (shark tooth) — Georgia Code (mirror of O.C.G.A.; sos.ga.gov blocks scripts) (accessed 2026-10-26).

Last verified 2026-10-26. Corrections welcome: if a statute has changed, tell us and we'll re-verify.

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