Judging quality
Brilliant adamantine orange, heavy for its size, extremely fragile needles. Vanadinite is stubbier and duller; wulfenite is tabular.
Chromate
Crocoite
Tangerine-orange lead chromate in hollow sprays of hair-fine prisms. Tasmanian Dundas material is the world standard and among the most photographed minerals in existence.
Care
Fragile and lead-bearing. Never touch the crystals, keep dust-covered, wash hands after handling matrix.
History & lore
Chromium was discovered in crocoite from the Urals by Vauquelin in 1797 — the element is named for the colors its compounds produce.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Crocoite
- What is Crocoite?
- Tangerine-orange lead chromate in hollow sprays of hair-fine prisms. Tasmanian Dundas material is the world standard and among the most photographed minerals in existence.
- How hard is Crocoite and what is it made of?
- Crocoite is a Chromate-family mineral with the composition PbCrO4. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system and rates 2.5-3 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in orange, red.
- Where does Crocoite come from?
- Notable localities for Crocoite include Dundas, Tasmania, Ural Mountains, Russia, Brazil.
- How do you tell good Crocoite from filler?
- Brilliant adamantine orange, heavy for its size, extremely fragile needles. Vanadinite is stubbier and duller; wulfenite is tabular.
- How do you care for Crocoite?
- Fragile and lead-bearing. Never touch the crystals, keep dust-covered, wash hands after handling matrix.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.