Shades of Quartz

After feldspar, quartz is considered to be the most plentiful mineral with a number of varieties found throughout the world. It is one of the most predominantly used minerals in jewelry and includes amethyst, onyx, and tiger’s eye.

Common varieties of colored quartz include:

Citrine

Color: Pale yellow to brown

Natural citrines are rare, with most being made by heat-treating amethysts or smoky quartzes. They are very similar in appearance to yellow topaz, differentiated only by their hardness. They are considered one of three traditional birthstones for the month of November.

 

Rose Quartz

Color: Pale pink to rose red

 

Rose Quartz is not often found in crystal form. While first discovered in 

Maine, most crystals come from Brazil. These beauties are generally too cloudy to be a popular gemstone and are more often used for carved figures.

 

Amethyst

Color: Purple

The largest deposits of these gorgeous gemstones (see image, right, for

one offered by Fountain City Jewelers) are found in Brazil, Mexico,

Uruguay, Russia, France, Namibia, Morocco. They can also be found

mixed with citrine, in which case the combination crystal is referred to as

ametrine. Amethysts are the traditional birthstone for February.

 

Milky Quartz

Color: White

This is the most prevalent variety of crystalline quartz and can be found          
almost anywhere. Because of the cloudiness, however, it’s not often used
for gemstones