Rhodochrosite and Rhodonite are both Manganese based minerals with similar properties. However, they can be differentiated based on their appearance, and physical properties. Rhodochrosite occurs in pinker shades and has white streaks that are made of Manganese carbonates. Rhodonite occurs in more pinkish-red colors and has dark spots and streaks made of Manganese oxide.
In addition to this, Rhodochrosite’s hardness is much less than that of Rhodonite, making Rhodochrosite the softer of the two.