Quartz crystal resonators form the backbone of many electronic devices, from making sure our wristwatches keep accurate time to providing frequency stability that enables global communications.

When exposed to an electric field, quartz crystals respond by vibrating or resonating at different frequencies depending on their shape and size. Once identified, these frequencies can then be detected and recorded for future analysis.

Color

Quartz crystals may contain impurities that create unique colors during formation, such as metals like nickel (chrysoprase) or trace elements from other minerals or fluids and gasses trapped during creation.

Quartz can take on stunning hues through a process called “twinning”. This occurs when crystal layers twin together to reflect and refract light to produce stunning shades. One such variety is known as Tiger’s Eye quartz; this variety forms when parallel fibers of mineral crocidolite are replaced by silica molecules to produce golden brown to reddish brown to black colors characteristic of this variety of quartz.

Quartz can take on many colors, from smoky and twilight gray shades, white, grayish-blue or shades of brown that range from pale to nearly black, to chalcedony (a cryptocrystalline quartz and moganite mixture with waxy luster), including shades such as twilight gray, moss green apple green as well as an emerald-green variety known as Mtorolite that contains trace amounts of chromium.

Texture

Quartz can come in an incredible range of colors and textures, and is widely known to be one of the hardest minerals on Earth.

Quartz crystals usually form in two growth zones – euhedral (square pyramid) and L-anhedral (cube). Magmatic processes may obliterate these crystals into various secondary textures like step and oscillatory zoning, truncated corners or overgrowth cores [35].

Other forms of quartz include agate, opal and aventurine. Agate is a banded microcrystalline quartz variety with parallel bands; this gemstone is known for its vibrant palette of white, black and red hues. The name derives from Greek onyx; which refers to Aphrodite’s fingernails being cut by Eros and transformed into this gemstone.

Hydrothermal quartz often forms agates and opals in hydrothermal environments, creating secondary textures such as wavy concentric zonation, micro brecciation and overgrowth cores with round or embayed edges, often featuring magmatic corrosion in its crystal. Furthermore, bright quartz cores with euhedral dark CL overgrowths may also occur [35].

Healing properties

Many people believe that crystals have therapeutic qualities for mind, body and soul. Crystals have long been employed as spiritual practices and metaphysical rituals.

Quartz crystals are widely believed to amp up energy, helping you become an amplifier of positive forces. Clear quartz is widely known as the master healer and stone of power; other crystals also tend to amplify this effect and strengthen intentions, energies and effects more powerfully than usual.

Crystals are believed to have beneficial properties on skin health. Quartz rollers or gua sha tools may help soothe irritations and diminish puffiness while cleansing organs of impurities, while soothing irritations and diminishing puffiness. Quartz crystals have also been known to stimulate bloodstream, help weight loss efforts, detoxify systems and balance chakras – not to mention their aesthetic use such as in smoky quartz rollers. Choosing your crystal depends on your goals and intentions – mixing different crystals together could create your very own energetic blend!

Frequency

An alternating current running through a quartz crystal causes it to vibrate or resonate, producing highly stable electrical output at a specific frequency – the hub of many electronic devices from data transmission to audio/video synchronisation. Due to piezoelectric effects of quartz crystal, contraction and expansion occur mechanically when exposed to electric fields – just like tuning fork tines contract and expand mechanically under tension. A constant DC voltage (such as what would come from a traditional battery) does not create these resonance vibrations, while quick pulses of DC current create them, feeding back microwatts worth of electrical power back through resonance – this constant loop creates power with ongoing resonance feeding back into electrical circuitry that feed back into an electronic circuitry device.

Crystal output signal switches between high and low 32768 times per second is fed into 15 flip-flops to form a digital clock with precise frequency. These essential components ensure fast, reliable data transmission between computers.