An article comprising: a substrate comprised of a silicon containing material; an environmental barrier coating overlying the substrate, an environmental barrier coating comprising a bond layer, a first layer and a second layer; said bond layer is located on the surface between the first layer and the substrate and comprises at least one of silicon metal and silicon dioxide, said first layer is located on said bond layer and comprises mullite, and/or at least one of mullite-barium strontium aluminosilicate, mullite-yttrium silicate and mullite-calcium aluminosilicate in an amount of between 40 to 80 wt. % mullite and between 20 to 60 wt. % barium strontium aluminosilicate, ytrium silicate or calcium aluminosilicate, said second layer of said EBC is located on said first layer of said EBC, said second layer comprises barium strontium aluminosilicate; and a thermal barrier coating on the environmental barrier coating, said thermal barrier coating comprising a compound consisting of a rhombohedral phase, wherein said compound has the formula of: A 4 B 3 O 12, wherein A comprises at least one rare earth element; and B is selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf and mixtures thereof, said TBC comprises a primary constituent portion and a stabilizer portion combined together to form the TBC material having the rhombohedral phase, said stabilizer portion of said TBC comprises an oxide of said at least one of rare earth element A, said primary constituent portion of said TBC consists of an oxide of B, to produce a stabilized hafnia, a stabilized zirconia or a mixture thereof on the EBC and wherein said primary constituent portion consists of hafnia or zirconia or a mixture of zirconia and hafnia. a substrate comprised of a silicon containing material; an environmental barrier coating overlying the substrate, an environmental barrier coating comprising a bond layer, a first layer and a second layer; said bond layer is located on the surface between the first layer and the substrate and comprises at least one of silicon metal and silicon dioxide, said first layer is located on said bond layer and comprises mullite, and/or at least one of mullite-barium strontium aluminosilicate, mullite-yttrium silicate and mullite-calcium aluminosilicate in an amount of between 40 to 80 wt. % mullite and between 20 to 60 wt. % barium strontium aluminosilicate, ytrium silicate or calcium aluminosilicate, said second layer of said EBC is located on said first layer of said EBC, said second layer comprises barium strontium aluminosilicate; and a thermal barrier coating on the environmental barrier coating, said thermal barrier coating comprising a compound consisting of a rhombohedral phase, wherein said compound has the formula of: A 4 B 3 O 12, wherein A comprises at least one rare earth element; and B is selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf and mixtures thereof, said TBC comprises a primary constituent portion and a stabilizer portion combined together to form the TBC material having the rhombohedral phase, said stabilizer portion of said TBC comprises an oxide of said at least one of rare earth element A, said primary constituent portion of said TBC consists of an oxide of B, to produce a stabilized hafnia, a stabilized zirconia or a mixture thereof on the EBC and wherein said primary constituent portion consists of hafnia or zirconia or a mixture of zirconia and hafnia.