Zinnwaldite
A grey-brown mica mineral named after Zinnwald on the German–Czech border
Zinnwaldite is a mineral in the mica group, showing colours from grey-brown to yellow-brown and sometimes pale violet or dark green. It was first described in 1845 at Zinnwald (now Cínovec), on the border of Germany and the Czech Republic, and is found with tin ores and other minerals.
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- First described in 1845 at Zinnwald/Cínovec
- Shows grey-brown, yellow-brown, pale violet, or dark green colours
- Belongs to the mica group of minerals
- Found with tin ore and minerals like topaz and beryl
What colour is Zinnwaldite?
Zinnwaldite is a mica mineral that can appear grey-brown, yellow-brown, pale violet, or dark green. It often shows colour zoning, meaning different colours can be seen in the same piece. The mineral forms short prismatic or tabular crystals, sometimes in rosette or fan shapes, and can also appear as scaly or layered masses. Its lustre is pearly to glassy, and it is flexible and elastic in thin sheets.
Where does Zinnwaldite come from?
The name zinnwaldite comes from Zinnwald, a mining area on the border of the Czech Republic and Germany, where the mineral was first described in 1845. The mineral's name reflects its place of discovery, and it is not considered a valid mineral species but rather a series between siderophyllite and polylithionite, both of which are also micas.
How is Zinnwaldite made?
Zinnwaldite forms naturally in the earth as a silicate mineral. Its chemical formula includes potassium, lithium, iron, aluminium, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine. It is found in certain types of rocks, such as greisens, pegmatites, and quartz veins, especially where tin ores are present.
Where Zinnwaldite is used
The sources do not mention any specific uses for zinnwaldite. It is mainly noted for its occurrence with other minerals in tin ore deposits.
Brown around the world
What the brown family means from country to country.
Brown is the colour of Nazism in German political speech, after the brown shirts of the party's stormtroopers. To call a view "brown" is to call it far right.
Politics and protestDanger and warningShameSource: SturmabteilungMasi is bark cloth beaten from paper mulberry and printed in brown and black. It is worn at weddings and funerals and given in ceremonial exchanges.
Sacred and holyWeddings and marriageSource: Tapa clothKuntunkuni is a dark brown mourning cloth of the Asante, dyed with tree bark. Adinkra cloth, stamped with symbols, was first made on such dark grounds for funerals.
Mourning and deathSadnessSource: Adinkra symbolsThe batik of the Javanese courts at Yogyakarta and Surakarta is dyed in soga brown with indigo and cream. Some court patterns were once reserved for the royal family.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: BatikBogolanfini, or mud cloth, is cotton painted with fermented river mud in browns, black and white. Hunters wear it for protection, and women after childbirth.
Protection and healingSacred and holySource: BògòlanfiniShades and relatives of Zinnwaldite
Zinnwaldite is part of a series between siderophyllite, which is richer in iron, and polylithionite, which contains more lithium. Its colour can vary within a single specimen, and it may be confused with other micas due to its similar appearance and structure.
Colours that go with Zinnwaldite
Harmonies are worked out from the value #2C1608. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Zinnwaldite
What colour is zinnwaldite?
Zinnwaldite can be grey-brown, yellow-brown, pale violet, or dark green, sometimes showing zones of different colours in the same crystal.
Where does the name zinnwaldite come from?
The mineral is named after Zinnwald, a mining region on the border between the Czech Republic and Germany, where it was first described in 1845.
What is zinnwaldite made of?
Zinnwaldite is a mica mineral made of potassium, lithium, iron, aluminium, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine.
Where is zinnwaldite found?
It is found in greisens, pegmatites, and quartz veins, often with tin ore and minerals such as topaz, cassiterite, and beryl.
Good reading and sources
- Zinnwaldite on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Zinnwaldite", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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