← Back to Reference Database RI Chart SG Chart Fluorescence Hardness

Phenakite

Last updated: April 2026

Beryllium silicate with unexpectedly high RI for its light weight. Occasionally sold as a colorless diamond simulant or collector stone. Separation from quartz and beryl requires refractometer.

Phenakite has a specific gravity of 2.96 and a refractive index of 1.654–1.670, with a Mohs hardness of 7.5–8.0. It is uniaxial +.

Physical & Optical Properties

RI Range1.654–1.670
SG Range2.95–2.97
SG Typical2.96
Hardness (Mohs)7.5–8
Crystal SystemTrigonal
Optic CharacterDR Uniaxial (+)
Birefringence0.016
Dispersion0.015
Fluorescence LWInert
Fluorescence SWInert
Chelsea FilterNot Applicable
PleochroismNone
ColorsColorless
SpeciesPhenakite
Colorless

Measured with a polariscope, a refractometer, a hydrostatic balance, a Chelsea filter, a UV torch, a loupe, a darkfield loupe and a spectroscope — step-by-step for each.

Through the refractometer

Phenakite reads 1.654 – 1.670 1.40 1.45 1.50 1.55 1.60 1.65 1.70 1.75 1.80 REFRACTIVE INDEX DORotate the stone through a full 360°, reading both edges atevery 45°. SEETwo boundaries, 0.016 apart at their widest separation. MEANSThat gap IS the birefringence. Take max minus min across thewhole rotation — a single position understates it, so onereading is an incomplete one. Computed from gems.json — edge positions are arithmetic, not drawn. RI increases upward; the field above the boundary is the dark one.

Drawn from the refractive index above, on a 1.40–1.81 scale. How to take this reading.

Through the polariscope

Phenakite Blinks 4× per turn (DR) 0° 45° 90° 135° ROTATION BETWEEN CROSSED POLARS Phenakite blinks light-dark four times in a full turn. That is doubly refractive. It does NOT tell you uniaxial from biaxial — that is the optic figure, which needs a conoscope. Computed from optic character and transparency in gems.json. A polariscope separates singly refractive, doubly refractive and aggregate — it does not show the optic sign.

Drawn from the optic character and transparency above. A polariscope separates singly refractive, doubly refractive and aggregate; the optic sign needs a conoscope. How to take this reading.

Specific gravity, and what it rules out

Phenakite SG 2.95–2.97 WHERE IT SITS, AND WHAT ELSE IS THERE 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 SPECIFIC GRAVITY 3 other species in the table overlap this range, so a reading here narrows the field to 4 rather than naming the stone. Combine it with a refractive index to separate what is left. Computed from the specific-gravity range in gems.json. Hydrostatic weighing — the bench method this site recommends; heavy liquids are toxic and regulated. Faint ticks are the other species in the table.

Drawn from the specific-gravity range above, against every other species in the table. How to take this reading.

Through the dichroscope

Phenakite One colour (no pleochroism) IDENTICAL AT EVERY ANGLE Phenakite shows no pleochroism, so both windows match at every orientation — turning the instrument changes nothing. That is a real negative result, and the reason it is worth knowing is below. Computed from pleochroism and pleochroic colours in gems.json. Window tints are derived mechanically from the colour words, not chosen; a neutral pair depicts no colour at all.

Drawn from the pleochroism above. Two windows that match mean either no pleochroism or the wrong angle — turn the instrument to tell. How the dichroscope compares.

Key Differentiators

Common Simulants

Commonly Confused With

Commonly confused with: Diamond, Topaz.

Treatments

Measurement Guides

How to Identify a GemstoneHow to Measure Specific GravityHow to Use a RefractometerUV Fluorescence Testing

Identifying a phenakite? Loupewise walks through these tests in order — RI, SG, fluorescence, and more.

Try Loupewise Free →

Studying for the GIA, FGA, or FEEG practical? Phenakite is one of the 132 species in Loupewise’s drill and exam pool — practice identifying it from its measured properties under timed exam conditions.

Practice exams →