Quartz crystals form the heart of many modern electronic devices, from keeping time to global communication and navigation. Quartz crystals can be formed into resonators with specific operating frequencies that can be tailored to match each application – even oscillating at exactly the frequency required!

Clear quartz has long been revered for its healing and rejuvenating powers. Many value its balance, clarity and energy-giving abilities.

Color

Quartz crystals take their color from their unique mineral inclusions, which tend to be small and microscopic. Most clear quartz is colorless; other hues result from impurities. A favorite amethyst variety – traditionally considered semiprecious gemstone and February’s birthstone – stands out with mesmerizing hues caused by trace amounts of iron acting as filters that selectively absorb different wavelengths of light.

Citrine is another well-loved variety, recognized for its warm yellow tones. Like amethyst, citrine is composed of quartz with natural iron inclusions or limonite staining; however, unlike heat-treated amethyst it doesn’t display color zoning but instead occurs as individual crystals or geodes and clusters.

Brown quartz comes in various shades from light tan to dark brown. Its deeper brown varieties, known as smoky quartz and morion, were discovered in Scotland’s Cairngorm Mountains. A hard, siliceous material called jasper offers many color and pattern choices such as banded agate and scenic jaspers that resemble landscapes; some varieties even exhibit chatoyancy (an optical effect caused when mica inclusions shimmer when moved around in bright lighting), creating banded patterns as seen here.

Clarity

Clear quartz is known for its clarity, aiding energy flow and providing strong connections to higher vibrational energies. It can be combined with other crystals for unique energy combinations to help you reach your goals and dreams more effectively.

Quartz gemstones are highly valued for their beauty and longevity, making them popular choices in jewelry designs and hardstone carving techniques such as cameo carving.

Pure quartz differs from other translucent crystalline minerals in that it is relatively hard and cannot be scratched with metal implements, lacking cleavage as well. You can identify it from similar-looking calcite by its hardness and reaction to dilute acids.

Quartz crystals should be regularly cleaned with warm water and soap to rid themselves of physical impurities that accumulate over time. They should also be stored away from other stones that might scratch them, and prolonged direct sunlight or moonlight exposure.

Size

Quartz crystals can be very large and have distinct shapes due to the natural property of quartz that allows it to vibrate at precise frequencies, making it suitable for use in clocks, timers, radio/TV transmission systems.

Crystals often take on naturally rounded forms due to the fact that their c-axis (the plane along which the crystal aligns) tends to grow faster than any of its other axes, offsetting individual crystal aggregates and creating an appearance of curvature across their entirety.

This stunning decorator crystal is an Elestial Quartz crystal (Jacare Quartz crystal). Featuring light smoky brown natural color and good transparency, its full front view displays numerous natural inclusions including fluid-filled chambers.

Shape

Quartz crystals may seem dull at first glance, but their design makes them ideal for use in lasers, microscopes, telescopes and electronic sensors. Their six-sided points may even be visible; but many times these points are covered by small deposits of other minerals that precipitated briefly on its surface during its growth process.

On the right is an exemplary clear crystal tip from Madagascar with an unusual surface. Its surface features grooves which run parallel to its large rhombohedral r-face and most align with its upper edge; such a look is known as an artichoke quartz.

In this example, a layer of chlorite was briefly deposited onto the rhombohedral faces of the crystal during its growth process. Chlorite is less soluble than quartz, so long needles formed from it could penetrate deep into its growing crystal and add new properties.