A big big family: Quartz
If you would have taken a Crystals 101 Class, your first lesson and probably the next ten lessons should be on quartz, (duh!) and this beauty’s different varieties. Found in two forms; this huge matriarchal family can be divided by crystalline and cryptocrystalline. Crystalline form is what is known as crystal, where in cryptocrystalline form, the particles are too small to be seen by the naked human eye. Quartz is shockingly quite common; it is the second most common mineral on Earth but this gem’s simple elegance and worldly beauty has taken many many admirers, since ancient times.
The name comes from an old German word “quartz” but before that, in ancient Greece, everyone was referring to this gem by the name “krustallos” or “kruos”, meaning “ice cold”. Nobody wonders why, right?
Quartz is by itself very much colorless but with tiny impurities, the crystal becomes something more; temples of love, light and contrast.
Let’s look at some of the most famous types of Quartz.
Amethyst: Maybe the most famous and sought after member of the family, Amethyst has very mysterious shades of purple; starting from light lavender to the tales of one thousand and one nights’ dark absurdity. This whole “I would die for you” drama comes from a tiny speck of iron and manganese.
Citrine: A Bonjouk Studio favorite, this babe is rarer than her big sister Amethyst but can be produced by heating an ordinary Amethyst.
Prasiolite: O very very light shade of green. It is super rare but again, a heat treated amethyst either turns to green (prasiolite) or golden (citrine).
Rose Quartz: This pinky stone is celebrated by many and is known as the unconditional love stone. Found in irregular shapes and in bulks, rose quartz in used widely in carvings and as tools.
Smokey Quartz: Smoke, trapped in a crystal. This gemstone has a variety of shades starting from dark brown to black, with millions of facets on the sides.
It’s almost impossible not to fall in love Quartz; at least one of her varieties, right?