Quartz is an old German word that originally meant hard or tough. It is the most common mineral in continental crust and the simplest chemical formula: silicon dioxide or SiO 2. Quartz is so common in crustal rocks that it is more pronounced when it is absent than when it is present. Among them, rose quartz is pink due to its trace of titanium. Pure quartz can pass ultraviolet, visible and infrared in a certain wavelength range, and has properties such as optical rotation, piezoelectricity and electrostriction. The transparency of rose quartz ranges from opaque to semi-transparent to transparent. Next, Let me introduce the origin of rose quartz, where the best quartz is produced, and the identification and selection of rose quartz.
Basic Attributes
- Rose quartz
- Mainly develops the heart chakra, strengthens the health of the heart and lungs, relaxes tense emotions, relieves irritability, and makes the heart broad. It has a strong healing effect on interpersonal relationships, love and strengthening one’s own charm.
- Chemical formula SiO2
- Trigonal crystal system
- Hardness 7
- Refractive index 1.54-1.55
Origin of Rose Quartz
The origins of rose quartz are mainly Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Dakota, Colorado, and the East China Sea. Most of the rose quartz minerals are massive and are produced in pegmatites in various places. The texture of the crystals that grow on the upper layer of the rose quartz ore is also better. At present, the crystal pillars we see are all formed after grinding the massive ore.
Rose quartz has a pink color due to its trace of titanium. If it is exposed to the sun for a long time, it will lose its original delicate color. Transparency ranges from opaque to semi-transparent to transparent, among which very clear and bright natural crystals, we call it star rose quartz. In addition, there are powder crystal clusters in Minas Gerais, Brazil, but the output is scarce compared with white crystal clusters or citrine clusters, so the price is more expensive. Here are three more characteristic crystal producing areas.
Madagascar
Mineralogists have found some fine fibrous inclusions in the quartz of Madagascar. It is these inclusions that give the rose quartz of Madagascar a hazy texture. The characteristic of Madagascar rose quartz is its color. It is pink like a peach blossom, which is very popular. The disadvantage is that there are more stone wool, but it depends on everyone’s preference. The vivid pink of Madagascar rose quartz represents fiery love, suitable for boys to send girlfriends. Married men can also buy them as gifts for their wives, adding more passion and charm to the dull married life.
Brazil
Brazil’s rose crystal is a typical pegmatite feature, sometimes weighing hundreds of kilograms, and many quartz crystal clusters are produced in Brazil. Unlike Madagascar rose quartz, the color of Brazilian quartz does not come from other minerals, but the color of the crystal itself. Brazil’s rose crystal contains impurities such as phosphorus and aluminum on the one hand, but also receives a lot of natural radiation on the other. Aluminum and phosphorous replace the silicon in the crystal. These crystal defects form “color centers” under the action of radiation. Light of a specific wavelength is absorbed by these color centers, resulting in the unique pale pink color of quartz.
Mozambique
Mozambique is the most transparent of the three producing areas and has a unique starlight effect. This is related to the local deposit structure, which makes Mozambique’s rose quartz contain rutile minerals and the starlight is more obvious. The characteristic of Mozambique rose quartz is its crystal, which is clean and flawless, but the color is faint. Such clean crystals are most suitable for women who are pursuing perfection. Many people can’t stand the cotton wool in natural crystals. Of course, Mozambique rose quartz is the best choice. There are not many bracelets in Mozambique. There are more necklaces made of this material.
Where is the Best Rose Quartz
The characteristics of rose quartz from various producing areas, Madagascar’s rose quartz cotton has many cracks, and it is rare to see that there are no cotton cracks. There are many cotton cracks in the rough stone. Its characteristic is that it gives people a moist feeling. Mozambique rose quartz can produce nearly very clean, almost no cotton cracks. But it does not have the wetness of Madagascar’s rose quartz, but it is still very popular. The third Brazilian rose quartz is very light in color and is already close to white crystal, so it is not recommended.
Generally speaking, the rose quartz of Madagascar is the best, the color is brighter than ordinary quartz, and the color of general quartz is lighter, unless it is an additive! The ice rose quartz produced in South Africa has a lustrous color and a matte finish and luster. Brazil is currently the largest and most important commercial producing area of rose quartz.
Features of Natural Rose Quartz
- Compared with synthetic crystals, natural rose crystals have more weight in the hand, and feel cooler to the touch, not as docile as synthetic crystals.
- Titanium is a decisive factor in determining the pink color of quartz. Care must be taken in maintenance. Long-term sunlight will cause rose quartz to lose its delicate color.
- The texture of natural rose quartz is fragile, with ice cracked cotton wool and other inclusions, so it is not so transparent, and it is filled with clouds or ice cracks.
- Rose quartz clusters are both opaque and translucent. The raw ore is basically grown in massive pegmatites everywhere, and the higher the growth position, the better the quality.
Quality Division of Rose Quartz
- Ordinary rose quartz: the most produced, with white stone patterns, natural clouds or natural ice cracks in its interior, and it is opaque, and its value is the cheapest.
- High-quality rose quartz: slightly transparent, with mellow crystal texture and delicate color as the judgment value standard. Better quartz does not have any white stone texture, its color is delicate, bright and flexible, and the surface of the crystal will have a lustrous and moist texture like full of water or even grease.
- Ice rose quartz: It has a high degree of permeability, and is named for its ice-like transparency and coolness. The ice rose quartz of good quality will also have a matte texture, and there will be less natural clouds or mist inside. Natural ice cracks.
- Starlight Rose Quartz: It means that there is no stone grain or cracks. With transparency supplemented by pink color as the criterion, under a single light source, three straight lines can be seen intersecting at the center to form six obvious rays. Starlight rose crystal is the most common pink texture, but if it is too obvious, the visual effect is compromised. Therefore, a starlight quartz that is not turbid in texture, has obvious starburst, and can have a distinctly discernible pink warm luster, is more worth buying.
How to Choose Rose Quartz Jewelry
The soft translucent and pink hue of this crystal is very attractive to gem and jewelry lovers. You can wear this crystal in the form of bracelets, pendants, rings, etc. When buying rose quartz jewelry, the following factors should be considered:
- Color: Pink is one of the most attractive features of rose quartz. When purchasing, you can choose a uniform color, of course, according to personal preference.
- Material selection: Crystal products with excellent materials, no star point, cloud and flocculent gas-liquid inclusions can be seen. The pure natural rose quartz earrings are pure, shiny and crystal-clear, and the quality is good. If there are broken cracks and spots of different depths, it is a defective product.
- Workmanship: There are two types of crystal product processing processes, namely grinding and engraving. Some rose quartz pieces show starlight (star-like effect) when cut into a cabochon. A piece of rose quartz with starlight is more expensive than ordinary quartz. Quartz stone is usually cut into cabochons to make pendants, earrings, rings and other small accessories. They are also shaped into beads. Since rose color is usually associated with romantic love, you can also find jewellery cut into a heart shape with rose quartz.
- Size: For rose quartz, size is a better measure of the value of quartz than weight. When buying polished rose quartz jewelry, please consider the color, clarity, and style to determine whether the jewelry is worth the money. If you want to buy rose quartz as an ornament, the price will vary depending on the size. Larger pieces of this kind of quartz show a strong color and are more expensive than smaller pieces.
- Dyeing: Nowadays, some businesses on the market often dye quartz in order to look good in color (but dyeing will destroy the magnetic field of quartz). Under natural light and white background, the lighter color is not dyed crystal.
Identification of Rose Quartz
If you want to avoid being deceived when buying this kind of gemstone, you must learn how to identify true and false rose quartz.
- Purity: Since natural rose quartz is naturally born from the earth, most crystals usually contain content, natural ice cracks, clouds, and color band changes. The artificial rose quartz is synthesized by factories or laboratories, and the crystals produced are almost flawless.
- Temperature: Pure natural rose quartz feels cool and heavy. The synthetic crystal feels docile and lightweight.
- Hardness: The hardness of natural rose quartz is 7.0, which is higher than that of glass. When you put it on the glass, there will be no traces on the surface, while fake quartz will leave scratches of different sizes.
- Fading: The color of natural rose quartz will fade if exposed to sunlight.
- Starlight: Polished convex surface or sphere, starlight will appear under the strong light of a single light source.
How to Maintain Rose Quartz Jewelry
To maintain the beauty of rose quartz jewelry, you must maintain them regularly. Here are some tips to help you maintain your jewelry:
- Rose crystal is easy to fade to white when exposed to high temperature, so it is necessary to avoid sun exposure.
- Although rose quartz is very hard, it can be scratched by harder stones such as diamonds and topaz. It is best to store your rose quartz jewelry in a separate box lined with fabric to reduce the risk of such damage.
- You can clean rose quartz with warm soapy water. Using ultrasonic and steam cleaners to clean this gemstone is not a good idea.
- If you have rose quartz necklaces, bracelets, earrings or rings made of gold or 925 sterling silver, you can immerse them in a cleaning solution to remove rust without affecting the gems. Use a soft cloth to wipe your jewelry.
Rose Quartz Demagnetization Method
- The crystal cluster purification method is a degaussing method that is widely recognized in the industry. It is better to use the most powerful natural energy of the crystal cluster to degauss and charge the crystal. The crystal cluster is a release crystal form, and its energy is continuously released outwards. As long as the pink crystal is placed in the middle of the crystal cluster, it can be purified after 24 hours. Of course, when you sleep at night, you can also put the rose quartz on it for cleaning, and then take it off the next morning.
- Soak sea salt water purification, sea salt + water. If you have just bought rose quartz, soak it in “saturated sea salt water” for one or two days; for degaussing, you should soak it in “unsaturated sea salt water” for 3-4 hours.
- Moonlight purification, this method must be more powerful when each moon is at its fullest. The steps are very simple, just put the quartz on the window sill irradiated by the moonlight and clean it overnight.
- Purification of living water source. This method uses the positive energy of nature to purify the quartz, bring the quartz to a clear waterfall or stream, and then use the flowing water from the waterfall or stream to wash and purify rose quartz. The time is mainly controlled at 15-20 minute.