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Formula:   Be2SiO4   mineral photo

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Crystal:   Tri-rhombohedral  
Hardness:   7.5-8  
Spec. Gr.:   2.97-3.00  
Streak:   N/A  
Cleavage:   "a" distinct  
Location:   São Miguel, Minas Gerais. Brazil  

Phenakite strongly resembles fractured quartz and is named from the Greek word for a DECEIVER. The shape is in the form of the mystic Pentagon, the grand symbol of constancy and durability. It is found in pegmatites with quartz, beryl, and chrysoberyl. It is nearly always colorless or white. An uncommon mineral, especially in crystal forms. Fine crystals have come from pegmatite in the Crystal Peak area of Park and Teller counties, Colorado; Anjanabonoina, Madagascar; Sverdlovsk, Ural Mountains, Russia; and especially at the São Miguel de Piracicaba mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil in euhedral crystals up to ten centimeters.

Bibliography: Vanders, Iris, Mineral Recognition, 1967, pg. 288.



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