How is quartz obtained

Complex Tests. Dissolves in hydrofluoric acid. In Group. Silicates ; Tectosilicates ; Silica Group. Striking Features. Hardness , crystal forms, striations on crystal face s, and frequent appearance of conchoidal fracture s on crystal faces.

Quartz occurs in almost every single mineral environment. Rock Type. Igneous , Sedimentary , Metamorphic. Popularity Prevalence Demand Alpha Quartz. Describes Quartz that is stable at normal room conditions. Click here for more information about the crystal structure of Quartz.

Crystalline Quartz. Describes any form of Quartz that forms in visible crystal s, excluding the Chalcedony variety in which the crystals are microcrystalline and not visible.

Amethyst - Purple variety of Quartz. Aqua Aura - Quartz synthetically enhanced with a coating using gold and sometimes other metals to give it a neon blue or other neon color. Aventurine - Opaque form of compact Quartz or Chalcedony containing small Mica , Hematite , or Goethite scales which cause a glistening effect.

Blue Quartz - The blue variety of Quartz , which is very uncommon in nature and rarely in crystal form. Cactus Quartz - Form of Quartz , usually Amethyst , Citrine , or a combination of the two, that contains a large crystal or crystals overgrown with a layer of spiky smaller crystals. Chalcedony - Microcrystalline form of Quartz. Citrine - Yellow, orange, or brown variety of Quartz. Faden Quartz - Group of Quartz crystals with a white thread-like zone running through the interior, with the crystals having formed around the thread axis.

Ferruginous Quartz - Quartz with an opaque red to brown Hematite coating or internal inclusion. Milky Quartz - White, translucent to opaque variety of Quartz. Morion - Opaque form of black Quartz. Phantom Quartz - Quartz containing internal phantom growth s, or ghostlike layers within a crystal. Prase - Light to emerald green, transparent to translucent Quartz , with coloring caused from inclusions of green minerals, such as Actinolite , Hedenbergite , Chlorite , or Malachite.

Prasiolite - Prasiolite describes a light green Quartz artificially colored by heat treatment of certain types of Amethyst. Rainbow Quartz - Quartz synthetically colored with an iridescent layer formed from gold or other metals. Rock Crystal - Colorless, transparent variety of Quartz in large crystal form. Rose Quartz - Pink variety of Quartz.

Rutilated Quartz - Quartz with golden yellow, needle-like Rutile inclusion s. Scepter Quartz - Quartz crystal with a scepter like protrusion on the end of the crystal that is wider than the rest of the crystal.

Smoky Quartz - Brown to black, "smoky" variety of Quartz. Star Quartz - Polished Quartz displaying asterism in the form of a six-rayed star.

These seed crystals are difficult to find and are primarily produced by Canada, Brazil, Germany and Madagascar. The Minerals Education Coalition reports that China, South Africa and Venezuela have also been known to provide seed crystals to countries with an interest in manufacturing cultured quartz in a lab. World View. Major producers of natural quartz crystals are the United States particularly Arkansas and Brazil.

Natural quartz is rarely used as found in nature especially in electrical applications , except as a gemstone. Natural quartz crystals have too many chemical impurities and physical flaws. As a result, a commercial process of manufacturing pure, flawless, electronics-grade quartz was developed.

About metric tons of cultured quartz is produced each year. A seed crystal is a small piece of carefully selected, non-electronics-grade quartz. The tiny devices used for these purposes are known as "crystal oscillators.

Today, billions of quartz crystals are used to make oscillators for watches, clocks, radios, televisions, electronic games, computers, cell phones, electronic meters, and GPS equipment. A wide variety of uses have also been developed for optical-grade quartz crystals. They are used to make specialized lenses, windows and filters used in lasers, microscopes, telescopes, electronic sensors, and scientific instruments.

During the s the demand for high-quality quartz crystals accelerated so rapidly that mining operations around the world were unable to supply them in adequate quantities. Fortunately, this need was realized during World War II, and military and private industry began working on methods to grow synthetic quartz crystals to meet the special requirements of optical and electronics use.

Today, most of the quartz crystals used in electronic components and optical instruments are grown in laboratories instead of produced from mines. Most of the laboratories grow their crystals using methods based upon the geological process of hydrothermal activity. The synthetic crystals are grown at high temperatures from superheated waters that are rich in dissolved silica.

These manufactured crystals can be grown in shapes, sizes and colors that match the needs of manufacturing processes. The cost of growing synthetic quartz crystals is competitive with mining, and the only limit on production is the availability of crystal growth equipment.

Ametrine : A bicolor stone combining golden citrine and purple amethyst. This gem measures about 8x10 mm. Quartz makes an excellent gemstone. It is hard, durable, and usually accepts a brilliant polish. Popular varieties of quartz that are widely used as gems include: amethyst , citrine , rose quartz , smoky quartz , and aventurine.

Agate and jasper are also varieties of quartz with a microcrystalline structure. Rose quartz: Translucent rose quartz in the rough. Rose quartz beads: Translucent rose quartz - cut and polished beads. Each bead is about ten millimeters in diameter. Novaculite is a dense, cryptocrystalline variety of quartz with a fine-grained and very uniform texture.

As quartz, it has a hardness of 7 harder than steel and is used as a "whetstone" for sharpening knives. These are used to produce abrasive tools, deburring media, grinding stones, hones, oilstones, stone files, tube-mill liners, and whetstones. Tripoli is crystalline silica of an extremely fine grain size less than ten micrometers.

Commercial tripoli is a nearly pure silica material that is used for a variety of mild abrasive purposes which include: soaps, toothpastes, metal-polishing compounds, jewelry-polishing compounds, and buffing compounds.

It can be used as a polish when making tumbled stones in a rock tumbler. Tripoli is also used in brake friction products, fillers in enamel, caulking compounds, plastic, paint, rubber, and refractories. Rose Quartz: the pink variety of quartz. Amethyst: the purple variety of quartz. Aventurine: a sparkling, translucent quartz. Citrine: the yellow to orange quartz. Common colors are clear, white, gray, purple, yellow, brown, black, pink, green, red.