Specimens can remind one of darkly colored cubes of galena . But galena's better metallic luster, greater density and perfect cleavage will give nobody any trouble in permanently confusing the two. Perovskite is named for a Russian mineralogist, Count Lev Aleksevich von Perovski. The mineral was discovered and named by Gustav Rose in 1839 from samples found in the Ural Mountains. Now it is a well known and recognized as a common mineral in aluminum and silica poor rock types such as nepheline syenites, carbonatites, kimberlites and melilities as well as some contact metamorphic marbles.
Color is variable from black, brown, gray, orange to yellow.
Luster is submetallic to adamantine, greasy or waxy. Crystals are opaque. Crystal Habits include commonly pseudocubic striated crystals. Also found bladed, reniform, granular and massive. Cleavage is imperfect in one direction.