Antimony
Antimony is a mineral known for its striking metallic crystals, with notable Chinese occurrences.
Native antimony is a rare metallic element-mineral, silvery-white and brittle, usually found with its much commoner ore, the sulfide stibnite.
About Antimonyextended article
Antimony is a semi-metal (metalloid) that occasionally occurs in nature as the native element — a brittle, silvery-white metallic mineral — though it is far more commonly found combined as the sulfide stibnite, its principal ore.
Identifying native antimony
Native antimony is tin-white with a bright metallic lustre, brittle, and moderately heavy, with a hardness of 3–3.5 and good cleavage. It tarnishes greyish on exposure and is usually massive or in rounded, crystalline aggregates rather than sharp crystals.
Where it is found
Native antimony occurs in hydrothermal veins, often with stibnite, arsenic and silver minerals. Notable occurrences include mines in Canada, Germany and elsewhere; antimony as a whole is dominated by stibnite, of which China is the world's leading producer.
About Antimony
Antimony is a mineral. Its crystal form varies within the species and has a distinctive metallic presence in any collection.
Identification & care
Its color is typically tin-white. The luster is metallic and the streak is grey.
Collector context
Collector notes
Antimony is valued by collectors for its distinctive metallic presentation. Documented Chinese occurrences are recorded at Dachang ore field, among others.
Frequently asked questions
What is Antimony?
Antimony is a mineral known for its striking metallic crystals, with notable Chinese occurrences.
What crystal system does Antimony belong to?
Antimony crystallises in the Trigonal crystal system.
References & databases
Mindat.org is the world’s largest open mineralogy database. Our descriptions are written independently and fact-checked.