Main index --- Minerals list

Minerals in this website - by colour

There is an A-Z list of minerals in this website here.

It is hard to separate the minerals into colour. One mineral may show a range of colours, from yellow through orange to almost red, for example. Also, people can disagree which colour a particular shade is. Metals are also difficult. What colour would you call copper? (No - copper is not a permitted answer!) So these allocations are sometimes arbitrary, based on my specimens, my sense of colour and my opinion.

Red | Pink | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | Purple | Brown | Black | Dark Grey | Silver | Cream | White | Transparent | Many Colours |


Red Garnet
Garnet 		Cinnabar
Cinnabar 		Hematite
Hematite 		Jasper
Jasper 		Realgar
Realgar 		Ruby
Ruby 		Spinel
Spinel

Pink Cobalto-calcite
Cobalto-calcite 		Kunzite
Kunzite 		Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite 		Rhodonite
Rhodonite 		Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz

Orange Amber
Amber 		Cornelian
Cornelian 		Copper
Copper 		Sunstone
Sunstone 		Zincite
Zincite

Yellow Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite 		Citrine
Citrine 		Gold
Gold 		Marcasite
Marcasite 		Orpiment
Orpiment 		Sphene
Sphene 		Sulphur
Sulphur 		Tiger's Eye
Tiger's Eye 		Topaz
Topaz

Green Amazonite
Amazonite 		Chrysoberyl
Alexandrite 		Autunite
Autunite 		Aventurine
Aventurine 		Bloodstone
Bloodstone 		Malachite
Malachite 		Jade
Nephrite 		Peridot
Peridot
Chrysoprase
Chrysoprase 		Dioptase
Dioptase 		Emerald
Emerald 		Bloodstone
Heliotrope 		Jade
Jade 		Moss Agate
Moss Agate 		Olivene
Olivene

Blue Beryl
Aquamarine 		Azurite
Azurite 		Blue Lace Agate
Blue Lace Agate 		Aqua Aura
Aqua Aura 		Celestine
Celestine 		Labradorite
Labradorite
Hawk's Eye
Hawk's Eye 		Kyanite
Kyanite 		Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli 		Sapphire
Sapphire 		Sodalite
Sodalite 		Turquoise
Turquoise

Purple Amethyst
Amethyst 		Fluorite
Fluorite

Brown Cassiterite
Cassiterite 		Columbite
Columbite 		Ferruginous Quartz
Ferruginous Quartz 		Zircon
Zircon 		Rutile
Rutile 		Sard
Sard 		Staurolite
Staurolite 		Vanadinite
Vanadinite

Black Coal
Anthracite 		Coal
Coal 		Goethite
Goethite 		Jet
Jet 		Obsidian
Obsidian 		Smokey Quartz
Smoky Quartz

Dark Grey Chromite
Chromite 		Blue Lias
Blue Lias 		Bluestone
Bluestone 		Andalusite
Andalusite 		Flint
Flint 		Graphite
Graphite 		Magnetite
Magnetite 		Manganite
Manganite 		Sphalerite
Sphalerite

Silver Galena
Galena 		Molybdenite
Molybdenite 		Pyrite cube
Pyrite 		Silver
Silver 		Stibnite
Stibnite

Cream Cerussite
Cerussite 		Gypsum
Gypsum 		Moonstone
Moonstone 		Talc
Steatite

White White Aragonite
Aragonite 		Barite
Barite 		Halite
Halite

Transparent Diamond
Diamond 		Herkimer Diamond
Herkimer Diamond 		Iceland Spar
Iceland Spar 		Clear Quartz
Rock crystal 		Selenite
Selenite 		Ulexite
Ulexite

Many Colours Calcite
Calcite 		Agate
Agate 		Apatite
Apatite 		Iris Quartz
Iris Quartz 		Mica
Mica 		Opal
Opal 		Peacock Ore
Peacock Ore 		Tourmaline
Tourmaline

Idiochromatic minerals

Colour due to chemical composition

Idiochromatic gems with
Chromium: uvarovite, garnet
Manganese: rhodocrosite, rhondite
Iron: peridot, almandine garnet
Copper: malachite, turquiose, chrysocolla


Allochromatic minerals

Colour due to impurities

Allochromatic gems with
Chromium: ruby, emerald, alexandrite, spinel
Cobalt: rare natural and synthetic spinel
Iron: aquamarine, tourmaline, nephrite jade
Titanium and Iron: sapphire
Nickel: chrysoprase
Manganese: rose quartz
Vanadium: tanzanite (probably)


These elements are transition elements (nos. 22 to 29).

The colour is produced by electrons changing orbit and energy levels.

Light of particular colours depends on the energy given to photons.