Quartz is a common mineral that is known as silicon dioxide. Its content in the earth's crust is about 50%.
Its hardness is second only to corundum, diamonds and topaz. The stone is resistant to strong acids, in addition, it melts at a temperature of more than 1700 ° C, therefore, it will not work to harm products made from it under normal conditions.
Classification
There are several varieties of it that have different colors and degrees of transparency. Quartz is a mineral that comes in two types:
- Cryptocrystalline, not having a crystalline structure.
- Crystalline.
Crystal quartz
It includes:
- Rhinestone is quartz colorless, transparent, sometimes with a pinkish tinge.
- Citrine is a clear mineral with a brownish, golden, orange or lemon tint.
- Amethyst is a transparent stone, which is a type of rock crystal of pink-violet, violet, as well as red-lilac hue.
- Volosatik is the name of amethyst and rock crystal with interspersed crystals of rutile, goethite, actinolite or tourmaline, due to which patterns of "thin hairs" are formed inside the mineral.
- Smoky quartz ("rauchtopaz") is a transparent nugget with light gray, smoky brown, brown or brown color, sometimes with shades of golden or violet tones. When heated, changes its color and becomes even more transparent. In the Urals, it has long been customary to place raukhtopaz in rye dough, after which bread was baked. After being in the furnace, he had to cool with crystals inside, after which the stones were removed. Thanks to this treatment, the minerals took on shades of reddish or golden tones.
- Morion is a resinous-black crystal called “gypsy” or “tar” by the inhabitants of the Urals.
Cryptocrystalline Quartz
Cryptocrystalline quartzes from the chalcedony family include:
- Aventurine is a type of dense quartzite, which has a grayish-yellow, brown or reddish hue, the surface flickers with sparks due to interspersing small pieces of mica.
- Amethyst quartz is a gem of a violet hue with characteristic stripes of white color.
- Sapphire mineral is an opaque stone of milky blue or bluish color.
- Rose quartz is a translucent stone of a gentle pinkish tint.
- Carnelian (sardonyx, sarder) - chalcedony with an orange-yellow-pink, orange-red or orange tint.
- Milky white quartz is a rock that has virtually no color.
- Carneol - a kind of a cornelian of brown-red dark shade.
- Agate is a type of quartz that consists of opaque multi-colored layers of chalcedony.
- Prasem is a dark green chrysoprase species.
- Chrysoprase is a translucent mineral of a green hue, in which silicon dioxide has a small admixture of nickel.
- The heliotrope is a dark green nugget with a small amount of reddish color.
- "Cat's eye" is a quartz of pinkish, gray or white shade, which has the effect of soft shimmer.
- "Hawkeye", "tiger eye" is a mineral of bluish-gray or golden brown tones with the effect of light tint, which appears due to the particles of crocidolite.
- Cacholong is an opaque stone of a soft china-white hue.
Quartzite is also popular - it is a metamorphic rock mineral, which consists of quartz cement, quartz sand and quartz, combined into a strong and dense mass.
Mineral history
“Quartz” is a word that has German roots. It is translated into Russian as "solid." The gem in question is one of the most common on the planet. Quartz is a mineral that forms the largest family of jewelry stones. Few people know that the quartz family includes so many popular and illustrious stones.
Agate, aventurine, bingemite, amethyst, rhinestone, hairy, prase, morion, raukhtopaz, chalcedony, rose quartz, sapphire quartz, citrine, falcon eye, cat's eye, tiger eye - these are all stones considered to be representatives of this family. All of them have their own fascinating and interesting story.
Quartz is a rock that has been endowed with healing and magical abilities since ancient times . He could heal the legs, head, heart, stomach, and improve vision. Balls made of rock crystal have always been considered an important attribute of all kinds of predictors.
Place of Birth
Quartz is a mineral whose deposits are scattered throughout the Earth. In our country, they are located in Altai, the Urals, Transbaikalia and Karelia. These are world-famous Ural amethysts that retain their shine and color tone under artificial lighting, unlike minerals of Ceylon and Brazilian origin. Huge crystals of rauchtopaz, morion and rock crystal are mined in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine. Many deposits of rock crystal are located in the Pamirs, the Urals, the Caucasus and Siberia.
Magical properties
Quartz is a stone that, depending on its color, has been used differently for magical purposes.
According to yogis, amethyst crystals provide an opportunity to plunge into the subconscious and open your third eye. To do this, the mineral must be placed between the eyebrows.
Amethyst quartz (stone) is also known. This mineral is also called Tamerlane stone. He can strengthen intuition, develop the gift of foresight.
It is believed that rose quartz heals heart wounds, sets its owner on positive emotions, and the heart focuses on love and goodness. Milk quartz can help a person find his soul mate.
The types of stones with a light tint - the tiger's eye, the cat's eye - for their owners were charms that protect against envy, slander and the evil eye.
Healing properties
Lithotherapists believe that milk quartz helps to restore the psyche, eliminating the feeling of fear and anxiety, helps to cope with inferiority complexes that appeared due to a lack of love and improper upbringing.
Carnelian heals from basic disease, headache, nervous diseases and fever, helps to strengthen teeth, and also has antiseptic properties.
Almost all types of quartz have certain healing properties. If many doctors cast doubt on lithotherapy, then quartz lamps have been treated in official medicine for many years.
Stone Authentication
At rock crystal, authenticity is verified very easily: a product with it is applied to the cheek in order to feel cool, since even the Romans used balls from this stone to cool their hands. Also, rock crystals do not have small bubbles, which can often be seen in glasses - this is checked with a magnifier.
Jewelry Application
Various types of quartz from ancient times were used to create seals, jewelry, bowls, vases, snuffboxes, figurines for the interior, balls and pyramids for magic rituals and lithotherapy. No wonder even today jewelry quartz is so popular. What is this gem, not everyone knows.
Jewelers created luxurious jewelry not only with crystalline types of quartz - morion, amethyst, rock crystal and smoky topaz, but also from other semiprecious stones. Many people know cameos and gems from sardonyx, which were framed with gold during the Renaissance.
Who needs quartz?
Each girl has its own shade and transparency of a mineral such as quartz. What is color? There are so many varieties of stones that each woman can choose the option that suits her. For example, the color type "Summer" is ideal for rose quartz and amethyst, falcon, tiger, cat's eye, gray-green or gray-blue agates. Chrysoprase and carnelian are suitable for the "Spring" color type. “Autumn” looks great in jewelry with smoky quartz, citrine, warm shades of agate, carnelian, aventurine, falcon and tiger eyes of golden brown color, heliotrope. It is better to choose Morion, rhinestone, cacholone, and bright amethyst for the “Winter” color type.
Amethyst jewelry should be worn by representatives of such zodiac signs: Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Sagittarius. Chrysoprase is suitable for Gemini and Taurus, rauchtopazy - Cancer, Gemini, Aquarius, Scorpio. Rock crystal jewelry is recommended for Libra, Aries and Aquarius. Citrine should be worn by Libra and Virgo.
Quartz is a true miracle, which is granted to us by nature itself!