Quartz is a Queen. She knows it. Her Queendom runs far and wide as Quartz can be found in pretty much all mineral environments. Quartz is also the most varied of all minerals. There are more variety names attributed to Quartz than any other mineral. There are two major parts to her Queendom, Macrocrystalline and Microcrystalline. Macrocrystalline Quartz "has crystals with distinct shapes that are recognizable to the naked eye." Examples of Macrocrystalline Quartz are: Rock Crystal, Amethyst, Ametrine, Citrine, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz, & Aventurine. Microcrystalline Quartz "has microscopically small crystals that are so miniscule and packed tightly together that they're completely indistinguishable to the naked eye." Examples of Microcrystalline Quartz are: The entire Chalcedony group, which includes Agates & Jaspers, Chrysoprase, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Sardonyx, & Onyx. Something else to consider is how all of these different colors and varieties of Quartz occur. Different colors are made by different chemicals or in some cases, by different treatments or enhancements. A few examples: Amethyst gets its purple color from iron. The color of Smoky Quartz is caused by traces of aluminum. Rose Quartz gets its color from traces of titanium, iron, or manganese. Bloodstone is a Green Chalcedony (a Microcrystalline Quartz) with red spots caused by iron oxide. Prasiolite, or Green Amethyst, gets its color by heat treating violet colored Amethyst. What? Until now, I thought Green Amethyst was natural! If you're curious about how a specific Quartz got it's coloration, Google it. There's more information available than a casual Quartz enthusiast would ever need. So what about Quartz's metaphysical properties? There's a lot of information out there. As to the specific properties of the different varieties of Quartz, I go into detail on several specific stones in my Etsy listings. For the purpose of this portion of my blog, I'm going to be using, "The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach" by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian. Also, because you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been, I'm going to focus on some fascinating historical beliefs about pure, clear Quartz. * The Japanese viewed Quartz "as a symbol of infinite space, purity, perseverance, and patience". * "Indigenous cultures in both North America and Burma have believed clear Quartzes to be living entities and presented them with food as ritual offerings." * "In Scotland and Ireland, spheres of rock crystal were long used to cure disease in cattle." * "In past cultures of Central and South America, Quartz crystals carved into the shapes of human skulls were venerated as powerful religious objects - the dwellings of deceased ancestors or gods." There's so much more that makes Quartz worthy of her royal title. But, it's time to show you and not simply tell you. Please peruse my beautiful Quartz creations. For more information, please click on the picture of the piece in question and you will be taken to Etsy where you can both read the piece's description and make it your very own. Be well! I referred to and quoted from the following websites: https://www.gemrockauctions.com/learn/technical-information-on-gemstones/types-of-quartz-and-the-enhancements-or-treatments-used http://www.minerals.net/mineral/quartz.aspx
0 Comments
|
AuthorJackie Helder Archives
June 2021
|