Quartz is a common mineral known as silica. In the earth's crust, its content is about 50%.
It is second in hardness only to corundum, diamonds and topazes. The stone is resistant to strong acids, in addition, it melts at a temperature of more than 1700˚С, therefore, under normal conditions, damage to products from it will not work.
Classification
There are several varieties of it, which have different colors and degrees of transparency. Quartz is a mineral that comes in two types:
- Cryptocrystalline, non-crystalline.
- Crystal.
Crystal Quartz
It includes:
- Rock crystal is a colorless, transparent quartz, sometimes with a pinkish tint.
- Citrine is a transparent mineral with a brownish, golden, orange or lemon hue.
- Amethyst is a transparent stone, which is a type of rock crystal in pink-violet, purple, and also red-lilac hues.
- Volosatik - the name of amethyst and rock crystal, interspersed with crystals of rutile, goethite, actinolite or tourmaline, due to which inside the mineraldrawings are formed from "fine hairs".
- Smoky quartz ("rauchtopaz") is a transparent nugget with a light gray, smoky brown, brown or brown color, sometimes with shades of golden or purple tones. When heated, it changes its color and becomes even more transparent. In the Urals, it has long been customary to place rauchtopaz in rye dough, after which bread was baked. After being in the furnace, he had to cool down with the crystals inside, after which the stones were removed. Thanks to this processing, the minerals acquired shades of reddish or golden tones.
- Morion is a tar-black crystal, called "gypsy" or "tar" by the inhabitants of the Urals.
Cryptocrystal Quartz
Cryptocrystal quartz from the chalcedony family includes:
- Aventurine is a type of dense quartzite that has a grayish-yellow, brown or reddish tint, the surface flickers with sparks due to inclusions of small pieces of mica.
- Amethyst Quartz is a purple-hued gemstone with distinctive white streaks.
- Sapphire mineral is an opaque stone of milky blue or bluish color.
- Rose quartz is a translucent stone with a delicate pinkish hue.
- Carnelian (sardonyx, sarder) - chalcedony with an orange-yellow-pink, orange-red or orange tint.
- Milk White Quartz is a rock that has little to no color.
- Carnelian - a type of dark brown-red carnelianshade.
- Agate is a variety of quartz that is made up of opaque multicolored layers of chalcedony.
- Prazem is a dark green variety of chrysoprase.
- Chrysoprase is a translucent green mineral containing silicon dioxide with a small admixture of nickel.
- Heliotrope is a dark green nugget with a slight reddish hue.
- Cat's Eye is a pinkish, gray or white quartz that has a soft shimmer effect.
- Hawkeye, Tiger's Eye is a bluish-gray or golden brown mineral with a light sheen effect due to crocidolite particles.
- Cacholong is an opaque stone with a soft porcelain-white hue.
Also popular is quartzite, a metamorphic rock mineral that consists of quartz cement, quartz sand and quartz combined into a solid and dense mass.
History of the mineral
"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 the mineral that forms the largest family of gemstones. Few people know that the quartz family includes so many popular and famous stones.
Agate, Aventurine, Binghemite, Amethyst, Rock Crystal, Hairy, Prazem, Morion, Rauchtopaz, Chalcedony, Rose Quartz, Sapphire Quartz, Citrine, Hawkeye, Cat's Eye,tiger's eye - all these stones are considered representatives of this family. They all 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 also improve eyesight. Balls made of rock crystal have always been considered an important attribute of all kinds of fortune tellers.
Deposits
Quartz is a mineral whose deposits are scattered all over the Earth. In our country, they are found in Altai, the Urals, Transbaikalia and Karelia. These are world-famous Ural amethysts, which retain their brilliance 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 in various ways for magical purposes.
According to yogis, amethyst crystals make it possible to dive 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's stone. It can enhance intuition, develop the gift of foresight.
It is believed that rose quartz heals heart wounds, sets its owner to positive emotions, and the heartfocuses on love and kindness. Milky quartz can help a person find his soul mate.
Types of stones with a light sheen - tiger's eye, cat's eye - for their owners were amulets that protect against envy, slander and the evil eye.
Healing properties
Lithotherapists believe that milky quartz helps to restore the psyche, eliminating feelings of fear and anxiety, helps to cope with inferiority complexes that have appeared due to a lack of love and improper upbringing.
Carnelian cures Graves' disease, headache, nervous diseases and fever, helps in strengthening teeth, and also has antiseptic properties.
Almost all types of quartz have certain healing properties. If many doctors question lithotherapy, then quartz lamps have been treated in official medicine for many years.
Gem Authentication
Rock crystal authenticity is checked 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, there are no small bubbles in rock crystals, which can often be seen in glasses - this is checked with a magnifying glass.
Use in jewelry
Different types of quartz have been used since ancient times to create seals, jewelry, bowls, vases, snuff boxes, figurines for the interior, balls and pyramids for magical rituals and lithotherapy. No wonder it's so popular todayjewelry quartz. Not everyone knows what kind of gem this is.
Jewelers created luxurious jewelry not only with crystalline types of quartz - morion, amethyst, rock crystal and smoky topaz, but also from other semi-precious stones. Many people know cameos and gems from sardonyx, which were framed in gold during the Renaissance.
Who is quartz suitable for?
Each girl has her own shade and its own transparency of such a mineral as quartz. What is color? There are so many varieties of stones under consideration that every woman will be able to choose the option that is right for her. For example, rose quartz and amethyst, falcon, tiger, cat's eye, gray-green or gray-blue agates are ideal for the Summer color type. Chrysoprase and carnelian are suitable for the Spring color type. "Autumn" looks great in jewelry with smoky quartz, citrine, warm-colored agate, carnelian, aventurine, golden brown falcon and tiger eyes, heliotrope. For the Winter color type, it is better to choose morion, rock crystal, cacholon, bright amethyst.
Amethyst jewelry should be worn by representatives of the following zodiac signs: Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Sagittarius. Chrysoprase is suitable for Gemini and Taurus, rauchtopazes are suitable for Cancers, Gemini, Aquarius, Scorpions. Rock crystal jewelry is recommended for Libra, Aries and Aquarius. Citrine should be worn by Libra and Virgo.
Quartz is a true miracle given to us by nature itself!