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In much folklore, pink stones represent positive energy and good luck. The name 'Rose Quartz' comes from Latin 'Rosa' meaning rose 'Quartzus' meaning 'Quartz'. The stone has been used for jewelry, carvings, and other decor since ancient times. When Were Rose Quartz Crystals Discovered? These types of Rose Quartz are best used for metaphysical purposes rather than for decorating objects or polished stone quartz gemstones. Other pieces of Rose Quartz are opaque or cloudy - they don't let light pass through clearly. Some Rose Quartz crystals are very clear - when you look through them, you see one stone appearing to be divided into two stones. Rose Quartz gemstones, however, do not have any material mixed into them that would cause them to look speckled or dotted when viewed at high magnification. The two different chemistries are also visible in Lepidolite's appearance - Lepidolite has a speckled appearance caused by small bits of lithium, which gives this gemstone its pink color. Lepidolite and Rose Quartz can be mistaken for each other since both of these stones have a similar pink however, Lepidolite is made up of lithium mica and is a 2.5-3 on the Mohs scale, while Rose Quartz is made up of silicon dioxide. The name "Rose Quartz" can sometimes be used as a catch-all term to refer to any stone that looks like it might be rose-colored - for example, some people use the name "Rose Quartz" to describe Lepidolite, a purple stone that can also be pink in color. For example, Pink Sapphires and Pink Tourmaline also have a pink color however, unlike colored quartz, these gemstones are harder than 7.5 on the Mohs scale (Rose Quartz has a hardness of only 7). Stones with a lighter color tend to be more affordable, while stones with deeper colors are usually pricier.Īs mentioned above, the fact that quartz is so abundant means that there are other stones that look very similar to Rose Quartz - but these other stones have either a different color or chemical composition. The depth and shade of the rose color are what determine how expensive the stone will be. Rose Quartz's color can vary from very light pink to deep reddish pink-purple, and sometimes even to near-rose or peach. In addition to being used for metaphysical purposes, a Rose Quartz crystal is also prized for the beauty of the stone itself. A piece of rough Rose Quartz has a matte appearance, but when polished, it looks smooth and shiny. This is the same process that creates Amethyst! These crevices get filled with silica-rich minerals, where they need to cool down slowly, forming crystal clusters of Rose Quartz. In order for this stone to form, sedimentary rock beds need to be present near areas where bodies of water drain under pressured conditions creating cracks within rocks. The pink color seen inside Rose Quartz crystals is derived from manganese while the white color on its exterior comes from colloidal impurities or moisture trapped inside crystals. They exhibit a wide variety of colors due to the presence of metals in their composition. Quartz is a silicate mineral that consists of a continuous framework structure and a charge balancing counter-ion.
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Rose Quartz, aka Pink Quartz or pink crystal, belongs to a group of minerals known as 'Quartz'. Because of its abundance, Rose Quartz is one of the most common quartz varieties found today. The main source of Rose Quartz lies in Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and South Africa however, you can find it in many places around the world. Rose Quartz belongs to the hexagonal system, and its crystal faces are so smooth that they can be polished on their surface only. The first original mineral becomes an exact replica having the same physicochemical properties. When Rose Quartz gets its pink color from titanium oxide, it comes under the group of pseudomorphous minerals meaning that one mineral has replaced another without changing the chemical composition of the first mineral. Rose Quartz Crystal Scientific Properties It can occur as a very rare single stone, but it is more common for Rose Quartz to occur in a combination with other minerals such as orthoclase or albite feldspar, hornblende, biotite mica, etc. Rose Quartz also gets its color from the presence of manganese oxide (MnO), chromium, and titanium. Rose Quartz crystal forms in the secondary cavities of feldspathic rocks as well as granite pegmatite. Rose Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and is generally available in semi-solid pink/rose colors to semi-transparent purple/rose colors.
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