Read along for some interesting facts about Quartz.
Quartz Crystal is one of the most common Minerals on Earth. With deposits around the world quartz is one of the most loved gems throughout history in the many forms we all love. Quartz has always been available in a large variety of color, cuts and at a in-expensive price.
What is Quartz?
The chemical formula for quartz is SiO2, also known as silicon dioxide. The earth contains a large amount of silicon dioxide, since it is more common in the earth's crust than other more complex chemical formulas, including silica and oxygen. Quartz is present in many other types of rock, including granite, sandstone, shale, schist, gneiss, quartzite and various other rocks in all three major categories - igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
There are two main kinds of crystal quartz, Macro-crystalline and Cryptocrystalline Quartz.
There are two main varieties of crystal quartz of the same chemical
composition, silicon dioxide, and similar physical properties.
Macro-crystalline quartz, includes stones like: Amethyst, Aventurine,
rock crystal, blue quartz, Citrine, hawk's eye, Prasiolite, quartz
cat's eye, smokey quartz, rose quartz and tiger's eye.
Macrocrystalline, or simply Crystalline, has crystals with distinct
shapes recognizable to the naked eye, that run the gamut from tiny
druzies all the way up to crystals larger than a man.
Worlds largest quartz cluster on display
How is it formed Naturally?
Quartz can be formed naturally from the silica which collects in the earth. When silicon (Si) and oxygen (O2) combine, it will create silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is quartz. For this reason, quartz will form underground quite easily whenever a combination of oxygen and silica-rich solutions are present. The formation of quartz is generally at an angle, as the dripping of the solution causes quartz to form atop itself, which explains the quartz "spears" sometimes seen in nature. Quartz contains a crystal lattice, and does not require any specific temperature or pressure to form, occurring naturally from the presence of its component parts.
Unnatural formation?
In spite of the vast amount of naturally occurring quartz, most quartz used for industrial purposes is man-made. A heat treatment can be used to synthesize various types of quartz, especially by the use of high pressure and temperature in water. Most commonly, silicic acids (those that contain silicon) will be broken down in water where the SiO2 from the acid will be separated from the H2O, thus creating water and quartz. As heat in a solution drops, the saturation point will be lowered, causing additional crystals to form.
Phantom Quartz
These crystals are created when another substance other than quartz washes over the crystal leaving a layer on the termination during the crystals natural growth cycle. The crystal continues to grow leaving an image of itself where it was at the time the substance washed over it.
Phantoms can be made up of such minerals as Chlorite, Hematite or even Clay. On occasion heat can play a part causing a phantom to be visible through a different color shade. Most often either Smoky or Amethyst can display these heat induced types of Phantom. The most powerful phantom configurations are termed as being 3D. This is where the substance has totally covered the entire termination, leaving a 3D image rather than if the substance had only covered one side or face of the termination.
Smoky Quartz phantom crystal. (Item not for sale)
Quartz can be formed naturally from the silica which collects in the earth. When silicon (Si) and oxygen (O2) combine, it will create silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is quartz. For this reason, quartz will form underground quite easily whenever a combination of oxygen and silica-rich solutions are present. The formation of quartz is generally at an angle, as the dripping of the solution causes quartz to form atop itself, which explains the quartz "spears" sometimes seen in nature. Quartz contains a crystal lattice, and does not require any specific temperature or pressure to form, occurring naturally from the presence of its component parts.
Unnatural formation?
In spite of the vast amount of naturally occurring quartz, most quartz used for industrial purposes is man-made. A heat treatment can be used to synthesize various types of quartz, especially by the use of high pressure and temperature in water. Most commonly, silicic acids (those that contain silicon) will be broken down in water where the SiO2 from the acid will be separated from the H2O, thus creating water and quartz. As heat in a solution drops, the saturation point will be lowered, causing additional crystals to form.
Phantom Quartz
These crystals are created when another substance other than quartz washes over the crystal leaving a layer on the termination during the crystals natural growth cycle. The crystal continues to grow leaving an image of itself where it was at the time the substance washed over it.
Phantoms can be made up of such minerals as Chlorite, Hematite or even Clay. On occasion heat can play a part causing a phantom to be visible through a different color shade. Most often either Smoky or Amethyst can display these heat induced types of Phantom. The most powerful phantom configurations are termed as being 3D. This is where the substance has totally covered the entire termination, leaving a 3D image rather than if the substance had only covered one side or face of the termination.
Smoky Quartz phantom crystal. (Item not for sale)
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