Quartz: Difference between revisions
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'''Quartz''' is a crystalline form of ''silica'' ( |
'''Quartz''' is a crystalline form of ''silica'' (SiO<sub>2</sub>) and is one of the most common gemstones in the world. The name itself comes from the Old English word for "right-angle stone". However, some authorities believe it derives from the Slavic word for "hard". The ancient Europeans believed quartz to be a petrified form of water; hence the name ''crystalus'', from the Greek word for "ice". |
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Quartz comprises an entire family of gemstones, which are classified according to color: |
Quartz comprises an entire family of gemstones, which are classified according to color: |
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Revision as of 18:38, 16 November 2006
Quartz is a crystalline form of silica (SiO2) and is one of the most common gemstones in the world. The name itself comes from the Old English word for "right-angle stone". However, some authorities believe it derives from the Slavic word for "hard". The ancient Europeans believed quartz to be a petrified form of water; hence the name crystalus, from the Greek word for "ice".
Quartz comprises an entire family of gemstones, which are classified according to color:
- rock crystal (clear quartz)
- smoky quartz (also known as morion & caingorm; formerly sold under the trade name "smoky topaz")
- amethyst (purple quartz; also amethyst quartz, which is purple with translucent bands of white quartz)
- citrine (golden yellow to scarlet red quartz; when occuring in the same stone as amethyst, it is known as ametrine)
- rose quartz (translucent quartz that is pale to rose pink in color)
There are also man-made varieties of quartz, such as prasiolite, which is pale green, and blue crystal, a vivid cobalt blue in color.
