Rutilated quartz and tourmalinated quartz
While most varieties of transparent quartz are valued most when they show no
inclusions, some are valued chiefly because of them! The most popular of
these is known as rutilated quartz. Rutilated quartz is transparent rock
crystal with golden needles of rutile arrayed in patterns inside it. Each
pattern is different and some are breathtakingly beautiful. The inclusions
are sometimes called Venus hair. Less well known is a variety called
tourmalinated quartz which, instead of golden rutile, has black or dark
green tourmaline crystals.
Rose quartz
The pale pink colour of quartz, which can range from transparent to
translucent, is known as rose quartz. The colour is a very pale and delicate
powder pink. Transparent rose quartz is very rare, and usually so pale that
it does not show very much colour at all except in large sizes. Translucent
rose quartz is much more readily available, being used for beads, cabochons,
carvings, and architectural purposes.
Tiger's eye
Tiger's eye quartz contains brown iron which produces its golden yellow
colour. Cabochon cut stones of this variety show the chatoyancy (small ray
of light on the surface) that resembles the feline eye of a tiger. The most
important deposit is in South Africa, though tiger's eye is also found in
Western Australia, Burma (Myanmar), India and California.
Rock crystal
The transparent, colourless variety of quartz is still known as rock
crystal. Long ago, people believed that rock crystal was a compact form of
ice: in fact 'crystallos' means 'ice'. The best rock crystal has the clarity
and shimmer of water. Although colourless quartz is relatively common, large
flawless specimens are not, which is why crystal balls these days are made
of glass, not quartz. Rock crystal has often been used in jewelry,
particularly carved pieces. Many stunning art deco jewelry designs featured
the black and white quartz combination of rock crystal and onyx. Colourless
quartz crystals have also become popular in jewelry due to the popularity of
legends about their powers. Many people believe that wearing quartz crystals
benefits their health and spiritual well-being.
