Rock & Mineral Encyclopedia

Search and identify 1,000+ rocks, minerals, crystals, and gemstones — with properties, formation, colors, hardness, and how to tell them apart.

Anglesite

A heavy lead sulfate secondary mineral, often colorless to white with adamantine luster, formed by the oxidation of galena.

A deep red banded agate colored by iron oxides, valued as a vivid red lapidary and jewelry stone.

A natural volcanic glass with rich brown and black mahogany-like swirls created by iron oxide inclusions.

A translucent chalcedony decorated with branching, fern-like manganese or iron oxide inclusions resembling tiny plants.

A dark green chalcedony speckled with blood-red spots of iron oxide, traditionally known as heliotrope.

A metamorphosed banded iron formation of alternating quartz and iron-oxide layers, mined as a major iron ore.

A brownish-red to deep brown variety of chalcedony, closely related to carnelian but darker, colored by iron oxides.

A red-toned banded chalcedony colored by iron oxides, ranging from natural carnelian-like reds to heat-treated stones.

A soft, glowing orange variety of calcite colored by iron oxides, popular as tumbled stones and known for fizzing in acid.

A vivid yellow-and-black banded stone from Indonesian volcanic vents, colored by sulfur, arsenic minerals and iron oxides, not true jasper.

A warm orange-to-red variety of chalcedony quartz colored by iron oxide, used since antiquity for seals, beads, and cabochons.

A soft-toned cream-to-butterscotch jasper colored by iron oxides, prized by lapidaries for its smooth, even, opaque finish.

A banded rhyolitic volcanic rock with swirling tan, red, and yellow iron-oxide layers prized as a decorative picture stone.

Obsidian colored orange by iron oxide inclusions; vivid uniform orange material is frequently manufactured glass rather than volcanic.

An orange-to-rust colored variety of natural volcanic glass whose warm tone comes from iron oxide staining within the obsidian.