Quartz - what kind of mineral is it? Properties and applications of quartz

Quartz is a common mineral, which is known as silicon dioxide. In the earth's crust, its content is about 50%.

It is harder than the corundum, diamonds and topaz. The stone is resistant to strong acids, in addition, melts at a temperature of more than 1700 ° C, therefore, damage to products from it under normal conditions will not work.

Classification

There are several of its varieties, which have a different color and degree of transparency. Quartz is a mineral that can be of two types:

• Hidden cryptocrystalline, not having a crystalline structure.
• Crystal.

Crystalline quartz

To it carry:

• Rock crystal - this quartz is colorless, transparent, sometimes with a pinkish tinge.
• Citrine is a transparent mineral with a brownish, golden, orange or lemon tinge.
• Amethyst - a transparent stone, which is one of the types of rock crystal pink-violet, purple, and also red-lilac shade.
• Hairy - the name of amethyst and rock crystal, with impregnations of crystals of rutile, goethite, actinolite or tourmaline, due to which the interior of the mineral forms images of "fine hairs."
• Smoky quartz ("rauchtopaz") - a transparent nugget with light gray, smoky brown, brown or brown color, sometimes with shades of golden or purple tones. When heated, changes its color and becomes even more transparent. In the Urals, it has long been customary to place rauchtopaz in a rye dough, after which bread was baked. After being in the oven it had to cool with the crystals inside, after that the stones were taken out. Thanks to such processing minerals acquired shades of reddish or golden tones.
• Morion is a resin of a resin black color, residents of the Urals called "gypsy" or "resin".

Hidden Crystalline Quartz

The cryptocrystalline quartz from the chalcedony family includes:

• Aventurine - a kind of dense quartzite, which has a grayish-yellow, brown or reddish hue, the surface flickers with sparks due to the inclusions of small pieces of mica.
• Amethyst quartz is a gem of a purple hue with characteristic bands of white color.
• Sapphire mineral is an opaque stone of milky blue or bluish color.
• Pink quartz is a translucent stone of a gentle pinkish hue.
• Carnelian (sardonyx, sarder) - chalcedony with orange-yellow-pink, orange-red or orange hue.
• Milky white quartz is a rock that has almost no color.
• Carneol - a kind of carnelian brown-red dark shade.
• Agate is a kind of quartz, which consists of opaque multicolored layers of chalcedony.
• Prasem is a kind of chrysoprase of dark green color.
• Chrysoprase is a translucent mineral of green hue, in which silicon dioxide has a small admixture of nickel.
• Heliotrope - a nugget of dark green hue with a small amount of reddish color.
• "Cat's Eye" is a quartz of pinkish, gray or white hue, which has a softening effect.
• "Falcon Eye", "tiger's eye" is a mineral of bluish-gray or golden brown tone with the effect of a light outflow, which appears due to the particles of the crocidolite.
• Cajolong is an opaque stone of soft porcelain-white shade.

Quartzite is also popular - it is a mineral of metamorphic rock, which consists of quartz cement, quartz sand and quartz, combined into a strong and dense mass.

History of mineral

"Quartz" is a word that has German roots. It is translated into Russian as "hard". This gem is one of the most common on the planet. Quartz is a mineral that forms the largest family of jewelry stones. Few people know that the quartz family includes so many popular and famous stones.

Agate, aventurine, binghamite, amethyst, rhinestone, hairy, prasem, morion, rauchtopaz, chalcedony, rose quartz, sapphire quartz, citrine, falcon eye, cat's eye, tiger's eye - these stones are considered to be 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 his legs, head, heart, stomach, and also improve his sight. Made of rock crystal balls were always considered an important attribute of all kinds of predictors.

Place of Birth

Quartz is a mineral whose deposits are scattered all over the Earth. In our country they are in the Altai, the Urals, Transbaikalia and Karelia. These are the world-famous Ural amethysts, which keep their shine and color tone under artificial lighting, unlike minerals of Ceylon and Brazilian origin. Huge crystals of rauchtopaz, morion and rock crystal are mined in Zhytomyr region of Ukraine. A lot of rock crystal deposits are located in the Pamirs, the Urals, the Caucasus and Siberia.

Magical properties

Quartz is a stone, which, depending on its color, was used differently for magical purposes.

According to the yogis, the crystals of amethyst give the opportunity to immerse themselves in the subconscious and reveal their third eye. To do this, the mineral needs to be placed between the eyebrows.

Amethyst quartz (stone) is also known. This mineral is also called the stone of Tamerlane. He can strengthen intuition, develop the gift of foresight.

There is an opinion that pink quartz heals heart wounds, adjusts its possessor to positive emotions, and the heart focuses on love and good. Milk quartz is able to help a man find his soul mate.

Kinds of stones with a light outflow - a tiger's eye, a cat's eye - for the owners were talismans, protecting from envy, slander and a malefice.

Healing properties

Lithotherapists believe that milk quartz contributes to the restoration of the psyche, eliminating a sense of fear and anxiety, helps to cope with inferiority complexes that have emerged due to lack of love and wrong education.

Carnelian heals from Graves' disease, headache, nervous diseases and fever, helps in strengthening the teeth, and also has antiseptic properties.

Almost all types of quartz have definite healing properties. If many doctors lithotherapy is being questioned, then quartz lamps have been treated in official medicine for many years.

Authentication of stones

In rock crystal authenticity is checked very easily: the product with it is applied to the cheek in order to feel cool, because even the Romans balls from this stone used to cool hands. Also in crystals of rock crystal there are no small bubbles, which can often be seen in the glasses - this is checked using a magnifying glass.

Application in jewelry

Various types of quartz from ancient times were used to create seals, ornaments, bowls, vases, snuffboxes, statuettes for interior decoration, balls and pyramids for magical rituals and lithotherapy. Not without reason and today jewelery quartz is so popular. What is this gem, they know not all.

Jewelers created luxurious jewelry not only with crystal types of quartz - morion, amethyst, rock crystal and smoky topaz, but also from other semiprecious stones. Many people know cameos and gems from sardonyx, which were framed with gold during the Renaissance.

Who is suitable for quartz?

Each girl suits her own shade and her own transparency of such a mineral as quartz. What is color? Varieties of the stones in question are so many that each woman will be able to choose a suitable option for her. For example, the color pattern "Summer" is ideal for pink quartz and amethyst, falcon, tiger, cat's eye, gray-green or gray-blue agates. The chrysoprase and carnelian will suit the "Spring" color type. "Autumn" looks fine in ornaments with smoky quartz, citrine, agate of warm shades, carnelian, aventurine, falcon and tiger eye of a golden-brown color, heliotrope. Flower-type "Winter" is better to choose morion, rock crystal, cacholon, bright amethyst.

Ornaments from amethyst should be worn by representatives of such zodiac signs: Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Sagittarius. Chrysoprases will suit Gemini and Taurus, rauchtopazy - Cancers, Gemini, Aquarius, Scorpions. Jewels from rock crystal are recommended to choose Libra, Aries and Aquarius. Citrine should be worn by Libra and Virgo.

Quartz is a true miracle, which is given to us by nature itself!