Quartz is one of the most common minerals found in the earth’s crust. In fact, it is by far the most common mineral of beach, desert and other sands throughout the world, clearly demonstrating the abundance of this well-known mineral. It is also one of the most varied of all minerals, occurring in numerous forms, crystal habits and colors, which makes it extremely popular among mineral collectors. The most common colors include colorless (rock crystal), white (milky), purple (amethyst), brown to black (smoky), pink (rose), yellow (citrine) and red (tangerine or, how about just red – why not?). Many of these colors and varieties can be found in the jewelry industry due to their clarity, durability (7 on the Mohs hardness scale) and affordability.

The crystal system for Quartz is hexagonal, typically forming a six-sided prismatic crystal with six-sided pyramidal (pyramid) termination.

Quartz is found throughout the world. Notable localities include Brazil, China, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan and the USA (Arkansas).