Quartz is basically is a German word originally meant as tough or hard. It is considered as the most common mineral available in the crust. The chemical formula of quartz is also quite simple. Its chemical name is Silicon dioxide or SiO2. Colored quartz stone is universal in its crustal rocks which is more noteworthy.

Below are some facts related to quartz

How to Recognize Quartz?

 Quartz is available in different shapes and colors. Once you commence studying materials, quartz becomes a piece of cake to define itself at a glance. You can identify quartz by the following points:

• A glass-like luster
• On the Mohs scale, the harness is 7, scratching the glass and all kinds of steel.
• Quartz breaks into curvy shards instead of flat-faced cleavage fragments. It means quartz depicts conchoidal fracture.
• Almost white or transparent; always.
• Always (almost) found in rocks with light colors and in sandstones too.
• If found in crystals, quartz has a hexagonal cross-section, similar to a conventional pencil.

Majority of instances of quartz are frosted, clear, or found as milky small-sized white grains that hide crystal faces. Clear quartz may seem dark if present in a rock along with plenty of other dark minerals.

Varieties of Special Quartz

The beautiful crystals with vivid colors are scarce when you visit a rock or a jewelry shop. Below are few of the quartz’s precious varieties:

• White translucent quartz is also termed as Milky Quartz.
• Colorless, clear quartz is known as rock crystal.
• Pink milky quartz is called rose quartz. Its color appears as mentioned due to numerous impurities (manganese, iron, titanium) or microscopic induction of other minerals.

• Purple quartz is synonymous to amethyst. Purple quartz is because of holes of missing electrons in the crystal with the combination of iron impurities.
• Citrine is a synonym of yellow quartz. Iron impurities give this quartz yellow color.
• Green quartz is termed as praseolite. Iron impurities are responsible too for its color.
• Gray quartz is named as smoky quartz. The mentioned color is due to missing holes’ electrons in combination with impurities of aluminum.
• Brown smoky quartz is called cairngorm while morion is commonly called as black smoky quartz.
• The Herkimer diamond is a state of organic quartz crystal with double-pointed ends.

Quartz is found in the microcrystalline form. Microcrystalline is synonymous to chalcedony. Both minerals, together, are also termed as silica.

Where to find Quartz?

Arguably, quartz is the most common mineral found on Earth. One test for a meteorite (luckily, if you find one) is for sure that it does not contain any quartz. In metamorphic rocks like gneiss, quartz gets concentrated in veins and bands. In igneous rocks, it is the introductory mineral of granite. Quartz is typically the last mineral to be found when granitic rocks get crystallized. Under pressure situations and mild heat, ‘geodes’ can be formed in sedimentary rocks.

EndNote

Artificial stone supplier finds quartz as stable, hard and low- dense mineral. Quartz stays in the crust’s uppermost area and always comes out on top.