Mineral Guide · Trade name
Pietersite is a commercial quartz-rich breccia with chatoyant amphibole or crocidolite fibres, prized for storm-like blue, gold and brown patterns.
Pietersite is a commercial quartz-rich breccia with chatoyant amphibole or crocidolite fibres, prized for storm-like blue, gold and brown patterns.
Reference formula: SiO2. Pietersite is a trade name for a variable aggregate, not one fixed mineral species. It intentionally receives no single artificial lattice; quartz and fibrous inclusions create the optical effect. Pietersite is classified with silicates and has a not applicable crystal system. Typical hardness is 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 2.6–2.7.
Typical colours include blue, golden, brown, grey. The usual fibrous, massive, brecciated habit and silky, waxy, vitreous lustre help describe a specimen, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Pietersite forms in or is associated with silica-rich brecciation and silicification of fibrous amphibole-bearing material. Important documented localities include Namibia, China and lapidary markets supplied by documented commercial localities.
Pietersite sells on movement: chatoyant fibres catch light through a quartz-rich breccia and create a miniature landscape in every polished surface.
Protect polished surfaces from scratches and acids; ask for locality and treatment information because appearance alone is not diagnostic.
Reviewed by NotOnlyRocks Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 28 August 2026
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