Color is colorless to white or gray and also with pale tints of yellow. Luster is vitreous to adamantine or silky. Crystals are transparent to translucent. Crystal System is isometric. Crystal Habits include dodecahedral crystals and embedded grains.
Cleavage is absent.
Streak is white. Associated Minerals include the red tourmaline elbaite . Notable Occurrences include Antandrokomby, the Sahatany Valley of the Antisarabe area and Manjakandriana, Madagascar and Sarapulsk and Schaitansk, Mursinsk in the Urals Mountains of Russia. Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, locality, lack of cleavage and the unusually high degree of hardness.