Spectrum Scientifics Blog

May the Quartz be with you! Part 1

by admin

Quartz! Its the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust (#1 is Fedspar) making up some 12% of our little planets shell. Quartz is a combination of Oxygen and Silica (SiO2). Quartz comes in two versions: crystalline and cryptocrystalline. The former category is what most people are familiar with and most of the quartz pieces we sell at Spectrum fit in. The latter makes up the majority of Quartz, and the crystals are so fine they are microscopic. Usually this means the Quartz is a powder, but some minerals are made up of crytocrystalline quartz.

Clear Quartz is probably what most folks think of they think of Quartz. It has no contaminants to discolor it and is usually sold in points or as tumbled pieces

Quartz Points

Very often the points may be dyed to make it colorful and attractive. This is not a natural coloration, however.

Quartz can have colors, Rose Quartz forms when impurities of magnesium or titanium. Sometimes the pieces may have a little bit of dye added to enhance the color as well.

Rose Quartz

Smokey Quartz is a bit more unusual. It happens when a normally clear contaminant gets exposed to natural (or artificial) radiation.

Smokey Quartz

But the colors don’t stop there: Purple Amethyst and Citrine are both versions of Quartz, having ferric iron to give it color. Citrine is just Amethyst that has been cooked hotter.

Amethyst Crystal Points

Even Tiger Eye is a version of Crystalline Quartz! Its actually a case where the Quartz replaced a mineral in another element. The result is an unusual tube structure that gives Tiger Eye its ‘eye’-like appearance.

Tiger Eye

There are many other Crystalline Quartz minerals. Some with other minerals contaminating it to give it interesting internal spikes (Tourmalated Quartz). Also a popular semi-artificial quartz involves heating up the quartz until it craks and then dying it attractive colors. The result is the popular and colorful Sparkle Quartz!

Sparkle Quartz