Clear Quartz
Clear Quartz tumbled
A variety of Quartz
What is Clear Quartz?
Also known as Rock Crystal, clear Quartz is a transparent and colorless Quartz crystal that is prized as a gemstone and is regularly cut into beads, cabochons, and faceted gems. This pure form of Quartz has been used for millennia in many cultures. Beads made of clear Quartz were a part of jewelry in ancient Mesopotamia in the 7th Millennium BC, and Aboriginal Australians used it as a talisman.
Optical Properties
- Refractive Index
- 1.544-1.553
- Birefringence
- 0.009
- Pleochroism
- Weakly dichroic
- Optical Character
- Biaxial positive
- Dispersion
- 0.013
Clear Quartz Market Value Calculator
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Clear Quartz Localities Map
See where Clear Quartz is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.
Key Characteristics
Rock Types of Clear Quartz
Common colored varieties include citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz, milky quartz, and others. These color differentiations arise from the presence of impurities which change the molecular orbitals, causing some electronic transitions to take place in the visible spectrum causing colors. Polymorphs of quartz include: α-quartz (low), β-quartz, tridymite, moganite, cristobalite, coesite, and stishovite.
Composition of Clear Quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon and oxygen atoms.
Health & Safety Information
- ⚠️As quartz is a form of silica, it is a possible cause for concern in various workplaces. Cutting, grinding, chipping, sanding, drilling, and polishing natural and manufactured stone products can release hazardous levels of very small, crystalline silica dust particles into the air that workers breathe. Crystalline silica of respirable size is a recognized human carcinogen and may lead to other diseases of the lungs such as silicosis and pulmonary fibrosis.
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Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Clear, Colorless
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 7
- Streak
- White
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- SiO2
- Elements
- Si, O
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