Phenakite

Phenakite or phenacite is a fairly rare nesosilicate mineral consisting of beryllium orthosilicate, Be2SiO4. Occasionally used as a gemstone, phenakite occurs as isolated crystals. There is no cleavage, and the fracture is conchoidal.

The Mohs hardness is high, being 7.5 – 8; the specific gravity is 2.96. The crystals are sometimes perfectly colorless and transparent. But more often they are greyish or yellowish and only translucent; occasionally pale rose-red.

Its name comes from Ancient Greek meaning “deceiver” due to its close visual similarity to quartz, named by Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld in 1833.