Quartz crystals and other collectable forms of quartz
Quartz is the most common mineral on the face of the Earth. Chemically, quartz is a compound called silicon dioxide, SiO2. As a crystal, quartz is used as a semiprecious gemstone. It is a relatively hard stone, 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Quartz is one of the most abundant mineral crystals and can take many forms. It is a piezoelectric material that moves when placed in an electric field. It has been applied in various devices as an oscillator. It is used extensively in industry and was used in radios and most of all it had its impact in the watch industry. It is very resistant to chemical weathering. A conchoidal fracture will result when this stone is struck and it has no cleavage.
In pure form, quartz is colorless, but it is commonly colored by impurities. Rose quartz is a pink stone often worn as crystal pendants or bead necklaces. Green is sometimes referred to as aventurine. Milky is a common mineral that is found in many different types of rocks. Pink or peach colored is called rose. Smoky is generally transparent to translucent that is gray to black in color. The most common and familiar inclusion in quartz is rutile. Rutilated is a variety of crystal that contains small needles of Rutile trapped inside.
Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and is a popular gemstone. Amethyst is the most highly valued stone in the group. Amethyst displays shades of violet due to the presence of small amounts of Fe3+ ions. Amethyst is sometimes heat treated to form citrine. On exposure to heat, amethyst generally becomes yellow, and much of the cairngorm or yellow quartz of jewelry is said to be merely “burnt amethyst.
Ametrine occurs naturally and is the combination of amethyst and citrine in the same crystal. Ametrine is a variety of quartz that contains both amethyst and citrine sectors in the same crystal. Ametrine is a real gemstone variety mostly found in Bolivia. Ametrine is a very durable gemstone suited for everyday wear.
Citrine is a macrocrystalline variety of the mineral Quartz (SiO2). Sometimes you will hear citrine referred to as topaz, which is incorrect. Citrine includes yellow to gold to orange brown shades of transparent quartz. Citrine crystals can form together with amethyst or smoky to form ametrine and bi-colored. Most commercial citrine is in fact artificially heated amethyst or smoky quartz. Citrine crystals can form together with amethyst to form ametrine, or with smoky quartz to form bicolored quartz. One of the most durable gemstones, citrine gets its name from the French for lemon, in honor of its vibra
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