Specimen at a glance
| Mineral | Quartz |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | SiO2 |
| Mohs hardness | 7 |
| Crystal system | Trigonal |
| Form | Lot / parcel |
| You receive | The exact lot pictured |
About this specimen
Four natural quartz points sold as one set — single terminated, meaning each grew attached at the base and carries one complete six-sided pyramid at the top. Nothing here has been cut, ground or polished; the faces are as they came out of the ground.
The bodies range from water-clear through to lightly milky, and all four carry orange-tan limonite staining picked up from iron-bearing groundwater. On a couple of them the stain follows internal planes, tracing the growth zones of the crystal like rings in wood. One shows a healed break partway up the body — a place where the crystal fractured while it was still growing and quartz simply grew back across the gap.
The two larger points are the display pieces of the group; the smaller two read well together as a pair.
Quartz is Mohs 7 with no cleavage, so these are durable specimens. Warm water and a soft brush is all the cleaning they need.
These arrived without a locality label, so they are described by what they are rather than assigned a source. Sold as the exact four points photographed.
Quartz: the science
- Every natural quartz crystal has a six-sided prism capped by a point, the same trigonal geometry whether it is a thumbnail or a meter long.
- Quartz is piezoelectric: squeeze it and it produces a tiny voltage. That property is why quartz keeps time in watches and electronics.
- At Mohs 7 it scratches glass and steel, which is why quartz sand is the main abrasive in nature and why quartz outlasts almost everything on a beach.
Go deeper
Want the full story on quartz: how it forms, how to identify it, and what makes a great specimen?
Questions about this piece
What is quartz?
Quartz is crystalline silicon dioxide and one of the most common minerals in Earth’s crust. Clear, well-formed points and clusters grow in open cavities and veins where silica-rich fluids had room and time to crystallize.
How hard is it, and how should I care for it?
It rates 7 on the Mohs scale. Quartz is Mohs 7 and very durable. Dust with a soft brush or rinse in lukewarm water and air dry. Avoid knocking points together and avoid sudden temperature changes.
Is this the exact lot I will receive?
Yes. This lot was photographed as a group, and you receive the pieces shown.
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