119 crystals
Black Minerals and Crystals
What makes crystals black?
Black in minerals results from several mechanisms. In obsidian, the dark color comes from concentrated iron and magnesium in volcanic glass. In tourmaline (schorl), high iron content absorbs virtually all visible light. In hematite, dense iron oxide packing creates opacity. In jet and shungite, carbon is responsible. Metallic black minerals like galena and magnetite appear dark because their metallic bonding absorbs and re-emits light at all wavelengths equally.
Want the traditions attached to each color? Crystal color meanings, stone by stone. Holding a stone you cannot name? Identify it by its properties.
How to tell common black minerals apart
Hardness, streak, luster, and density are read from each stone's profile. The last column is the fastest single check that separates it from the others in this table.
| Stone | Mohs | Streak | Luster | Specific gravity | Quickest tell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Tourmaline | 7 | White to Pale Brown | Vitreous to Matte | 3.10 | Lengthwise striations and a rounded triangular cross-section; a smooth, grooveless black crystal is not tourmaline. |
| Obsidian | 5.5 | White | Vitreous | 2.35-2.60 | Glassy with curved conchoidal fracture and razor edges, no crystal faces, and thin edges turn translucent brown or gray. |
| Black Onyx | 7 | White | Waxy to Vitreous | 2.60 | Smooth, waxy black chalcedony that is almost always dyed; strong transmitted light can show the original agate banding, and it is far denser than jet. |
| Hematite | 5.5 | Red-Brown | Metallic to Earthy | 5.26 | Streaks red-brown on unglazed porcelain even when the stone looks silver-black and metallic, and it feels heavy for its size. |
| Jet | 3 | Dark Brown | Waxy to Vitreous | 1.30 | Surprisingly light and warm to the touch with a dark brown streak, while obsidian and onyx feel cold and dense beside it. |
| Shungite | 3.5 | Black | Semi-metallic to Dull | 1.80-2.40 | Conducts electricity, which obsidian, onyx, tourmaline, and jet do not, and feels lighter than most black stones. |
What are some black crystals?
Actinolite
The Ray Stone
Analcime
The Zeolite Cube Crystal
Andamooka Opal
South Australia's Matrix Jewel
Andradite Garnet
The Collector's Garnet
Angelite
The Stone of Awareness
Anglesite
The Lead Crystal Jewel
Anhydrite
The Waterless Gypsum
Apache Tear
The Grief Stone
Arsenopyrite
The Arsenic Iron Sulfide
Basalt
The Ocean Floor Rock
Biotite
The Black Mica
Bismuth
The Rainbow Staircase
Black Kyanite
The Witch's Broom
Black Moonstone
The Dark Moon Crystal
Black Onyx
The Stone of Strength
Black Tourmaline
The Shield Stone
Blue Calcite
The Soft-Spoken Carbonate
Blue Chalcedony
The Speaker's Stone
Blue Obsidian
The Rarest Volcanic Glass
Botswana Agate
The Sunset Stone
Bumble Bee Jasper
The Radiant Stone
Cassiterite
The Tin Stone
Cat's Eye Moonstone
The Dual-Phenomenon Feldspar
Cathedral Quartz
Stacked, stepped quartz spires
Chalcedony
The Mother of Agates
Charoite
The Stone of Transformation
Chiastolite
The Cross Stone
Chrysanthemum Stone
Nature's Fossil Flower
Chrysotile
The Serpentine Fiber
Clear Quartz
The Master Healer
Coltan
The Digital Age Mineral
Coral
The Garden of the Sea
Cryolite
The Invisible Ice Stone
Dalmatian Stone
The Spotted Companion
Dendritic Agate
The Stone of Plentitude
Diopside
The Emerald's Understudy
Dolomite
The Stabilizer
Enstatite
The Meteorite Mineral
Epidote
The Stone of Increase
Fuchsite
The Emerald Mica
Fulgurite
Lightning Captured in Glass
Galena
The Mirror Stone
Granite
The Backbone of Continents
Grape Agate
The Dream Cluster
Hawk's Eye
The Stone of Vision
Hematite
The Blood Stone
Herkimer Diamond
The Attunement Stone
Hornblende
The Dark Amphibole
Howlite
The Calming Stone
Hypersthene
The Black Schiller Pyroxene
Iolite
The Viking Compass
Iron Meteorite
Metal from the Stars
Jade
The Dream Stone
Jet
The Mourning Stone
K2 Stone
The Mountain Stone
Kambaba Jasper
The Crocodile Stone
Kyanite
The Blade of Balance
Labradorite
The Stone of Transformation
Larvikite
The Norwegian Moonstone
Lava Rock
The Grounding Stone
Lepidolite
The Peace Stone
Limestone
The Fossil Record
Magnesite
The Brain Stone
Magnetite
The Lodestone
Mahogany Obsidian
The Stone of Inner Strength
Marble
The Sculptor's Canvas
Merlinite
The Wizard Stone
Moonstone
The Traveler's Stone
Muscovite
The Silver Mica
Musgravite
The Rarest of the Rare
Nebula Stone
The Cosmic Pattern
Nephrite
The Original Jade
Nuummite
The Sorcerer's Stone
Obsidian
The Volcanic Glass
Oligoclase
The Sunstone Mother Mineral
Opal
The Eye Stone
Optical Calcite
The Viking Sunstone
Pearl
The Gem of the Sea
Petrified Wood
Time Written in Stone
Pietersite
The Tempest Stone
Platinum
The Noble Metal
Preseli Bluestone
The Stonehenge Stone
Proustite
The Ruby Silver
Quantum Quattro
Namibia four-phase copper stone
Quartzite
The Indestructible Sandstone
Rainbow Obsidian
The Stone of Light in Darkness
Rhodonite
The Rescue Stone
Ruby Zoisite
The Heart of Tanzania
Rutilated Quartz
Venus Hair Stone
Rutile
The Titanium Needle
Sardonyx
The Legionnaire's Stone
Satin Spar
The Silken Glow
Schorl
The Iron-Black Tourmaline
Septarian
The Dragon Stone
Seraphinite
The Angel Stone
Serpentine
The Serpent Stone
Shungite
The Carbon Shield
Silver
The Moon Metal
Slate
The Splitting Stone
Smoky Quartz
The Grounding Stone
Snowflake Obsidian
The Stone of Balance
Soapstone
The Carver's Stone
Sphalerite
The Fire Diamond
Spinel
The Great Impostor
Spodumene
The Lithium Giant
Star Sapphire
The Celestial Star Stone
Stibnite
The Sword of Shadows
Talc
The Softest Mineral
Tektite
Meteorite Impact Glass
Tibetan Quartz
The Roof of the World Crystal
Tiger Iron
The Banded Triad
Tiger's Eye
The Stone of Courage
Tourmalinated Quartz
The Balanced Stone
Tourmaline
The Rainbow Stone
Tremolite
The Jade Builder
Wolframite
The Tungsten Ore
Wollastonite
The Contact Metamorphic Marker
Yooperlite
The Glowing Stones of Lake Superior
Zoisite
The Tanzanite Parent Mineral