How do I identify Stephanite?

Stephanite can be identified by its hardness of 2 - 2.5 on the Mohs scale, Lead gray or black color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Stephanite?

Stephanite typically appears in Lead gray or black. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Stephanite?

Stephanite has a hardness of 2 - 2.5 on the Mohs scale. This makes it a soft mineral that can be scratched easily.

Stephanite

A variety of Minerals

What is Stephanite?

Stephanite is a silver antimony sulfosalt mineral with formula: Ag5SbS4 It is composed of 68.8% silver, and sometimes is of importance as an ore of this metal.

Stephanite Market Value Calculator

Estimate the market value of Stephanite using size, quality, and finish. This preview calculator is for quick context and is not a formal appraisal.

Stephanite Localities Map

See where Stephanite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

Map preview

North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Characteristics of Stephanite

It frequently occurs as well-formed crystals, which are orthorhombic and occasionally show indications of hemimorphism: they have the form of six-sided prisms or flat tables terminated by large basal planes and often modified at the edges by numerous pyramid-planes. Twinning on the prism-planes is of frequent occurrence, giving rise to pseudo-hexagonal groups like those of aragonite. The colour is iron-black, and the lustre metallic and brilliant; on exposure to light, however, the crystals soon become dull. Stephanite is an important ore of silver in some mining camps.

Formation of Stephanite

Stephanite occurs as a late-stage mineral with other ores of silver in hydrothermal veins. Associated minerals include proustite, acanthite, native silver, tetrahedrite, galena, sphalerite and pyrite. Localities which have yielded good crystallized specimens are Freiberg and Gersdorf near Rosswein in Saxony, Chañarcillo in Chile, and exceptionally Cornwall. In the Comstock lode in Nevada massive stephanite and argentite are important ores of silver.