Quartz Jewelry
Today we'd like to provide some information on the common gemstone quartz, and common it is. Quartz is the most abundant mineral found in the earth's crust. There are so many types of quartz that often people don't even realize that the gemstone they are wearing is actually a form of quartz. Some examples include Amethyst, Citrine, Carnelian, Onyx, Agates, and Tiger's Eye. While it may be the most abundant mineral on the planet it can be difficult to mine varieties that are of good enough quality to be used in jewelry making. Quartz is ranked a 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness where a diamond is 10 and sapphires are a 9, this makes quartz a very strong and durable material for jewelry.Quartz in its purest form is clear as water and generally grows in a crystal based formation. When the quartz is crossed or twinned with other minerals you get all of the color variations you see today, usually given their own name such as amethyst, but also named simply after their color, such as smoky quartz, rose quartz, etc. Another interesting note is that some forms of quartz such as citrine and carnelian are amethyst that has been heat treated, naturally or mechanically.
Besides being a beautiful stone for jewelry, quartz has what they call piezoelectric properties. You have probably heard of quartz timepieces. When mechanical stress is applied to quartz crystals they become electrically charged. It is this unique property that is likely why crystals are frequently used in healing ceremonies and have different healing attributes associated with various quartz gemstones.
Almost all of our jewelry uses quartz in one form or another. You can use this link to see all our pieces that make use of quartz, usually in the form of smoky quartz, amethyst, citrine, and carnelian. It's clear and shiny brilliance make wonderful accent beads and faceted stones that highlight pieces very well, here are a few of our favorites:
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