Guide
Olivenite specimens for sale
56 for sale · $100–$12,500 USD
70 in the gallery
Olivenite is a copper arsenate mineral that forms as green to olive-brown, often vitreous to pearly crystals. It typically occurs as prismatic, elongated crystals or radiating clusters and can display a resinous to sub-metallic luster. The mineral commonly appears in hanging or fibrous aggregates within fissures of copper-bearing rocks, frequently alongside secondary copper minerals that form in oxidative zones.
- Formula
- Cu2(AsO4)(OH)
- Rarity
- Common
- Stability
- Stable
- Collector interest
- Moderate Interest
- Classification notes
- Arsenate mineral; Cu-arsenate hydroxide, Strunz 08.BA.05
Key characteristics
- Crystal system
- orthorhombic
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Specific gravity
- 4.1–4.4
- Luster
- vitreous, adamantine, silky
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Color
- green, yellow, brown, gray, black
- Streak
- white, green
- Cleavage
- poor
- Fracture
- conchoidal, uneven
- Crystal habit
- prismatic, acicular, fibrous, radiating, botryoidal, granular, massive
- Classic / historic
Buy Olivenite specimens
View all 56Where Olivenite is found
Top localities
- Milpillas Mine17 specimens
- Tsumeb6 specimens
- Mount Diablo pit4 specimens
- Wheal Unity4 specimens
- Christiana Mine3 specimens
- New Cornelia Mine3 specimens
- Centennial Eureka Mine2 specimens
- Mammoth mine2 specimens
- Wheal Gorland2 specimens
- Catfish No. 4 Occurrence1 specimen
Guides
All guides
Guide
Olivenite from Wheal Gorland, Cornwall, UK
Olivenite - olive-green, acicular and botryoidal crystals from Wheal Gorland, Cornwall; a classic Cornish collector's mineral with copper-ore associations.Read guide
Guide
Olivenite from Tsumeb Mine, Namibia
Olivenite from Tsumeb Mine, Namibia — connoisseur’s arsenate prized for olive- to forest-green crystals, dramatic habit, and valuable provenance.Read guideAbout Olivenite
Notable specimens have come from several classic localities globally, including arid or desert regions where secondary arsenates develop in oxide-rich environments. Namibia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, and Greece are among the places known for well-crystallized Olivenite and associated assemblages, sometimes yielding eye-catching, saturated color and crisp crystal form. Collectors prize Olivenite for its rich color range, striking termination shapes, and its historical association with copper deposits observed in old mines and secondary mineral parageneses.
