Green Quartz

Green Quartz is a beautiful variety of the Quartz family of gemstones.  Intensity of color and fine clarity are the most important aspects to consider when purchasing Green Quartz. A tough gemstone found in many different shapes and displaying beautiful colors, Green Quartz is ideal for everyday wear and, as an inexpensive gem variety, it is perfect for a wide variety of jewelry applications.

The prices, uses and value of green quartz vary tremendously, depending on the size and quality of the gemstone.  

Why Buy Loose Gemstones Instead of Pre-Set Jewelry?

There are many reasons, but basically it boils down to value and choice...

When buying your green quartz gemstone loose instead of a pre-set stone, you can be sure you are getting the best value for your money.  Loose gemstones are less expensive, a better value, and you can really see what you are paying for.  The most important part of getting the right price and finding the best value is to first see what you're getting.  A jewelry setting will hide the inclusions inside a gem, and can deepen or brighten its color.  With a loose stone you can much more easily inspect the gem and see it for what it really is.  In this way you can get a better idea of its true worth and be sure you are paying a fair price.

The second advantage of buying a loose gemstone is choice.  You are free to pick the exact color, cut, shape and variety of the stone for the setting of your dreams, be it yellow gold, white gold, platinum or silver; prong set or bezel set with diamond accents.  You can experience the joy of creating your very own, one-of-a-kind jewelry design. Choose from a variety of jewelry settings and styles to create a completely original presentation that will perfectly suit your individual gemstone and will be as unique as you are! 

Quartz varieties are commonly separated into two groups based on the size of the individual grains or crystals; macrocrystalline quartz in which individual crystals are distinguishable with the naked eye, and cryptocrystalline quartz in which the individual crystals are too small to be easily distinguishable under the light microscope.

Some of the macrocrystalline quartz varieties are: Amethyst, Ametrine, Cat's-eye Quartz, Citrine, Phantom Quartz , Rock Crystal, Rose Quartz, Rutilated Quartz and Smoky Quartz.  Blue Aventurine Quartz and Green Aventurine Quartz are actually quartzites (a rock, not a mineral) composed essentially of interlocking macrocrystalline quartz grains with disseminated grains of other color imparting minerals.

The cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz may be separated into two types; fibrous and microgranular. Chalcedony is the general term applied to the fibrous cryptocrystalline varieties. Agate is an example of a fibrous cryptocystalline banded chalcedony variety of quartz. Carnelian, Chrysoprase and bloodstone are other chalcedony varieties.

Chert is the general term applied to the granular cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz, of which flint and Jasper are examples.

Quartz is the most common mineral found on the face of the earth and occurs in all environments and all rock types - sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous.  Its name derives from the German word "quarz", although other sources say the name is from the Saxon word "Querkluftertz", meaning "cross-vein ore".

Nearly every ancient culture has revered Quartz.  The ancients believed Quartz was actually water from the heavens that was frozen into eternal ice by the gods.  In fact, the word "crystal" derives from the Greek word "krystallos" meaning "ice".  Oceanic and Australian shamans spoke of Quartz as "a stone of light broken off from the celestial throne". 

The Aborigines used the crystals to invoke rain, as did certain Native American tribes.  In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Quartz is the most common substance identified with their mystical substance called "maban".  Maban is said to be the material from which wise men (called karadjis) obtain their magickal powers.  During initiation ceremonies, maban is spiritually "inserted" into the body of the apprentice by the karadji. 

The Australian sky god, Daramulun, was long portrayed through art and sculpture as having a mouth full of Quartz, a huge phallus, and carrying a stone axe.

The ancient Japanese, who revered Dragons as a major part of their creation myths, believed Quartz formed from the breath of a White Dragon. To them, Quartz was representative of perfection, which, while unattainable, was worthy of pursuit.

Indian cultures believed it could detect food poison.

Quartz also graced the temples of Ancient China.

In Western culture, Christian relics were often made of Quartz or other members of the Quartz family and many thought it was ice in fossilized form. 

Green Quartz has a chemical formula of SiO2, a density of 2.60 - 2.70, and a refractive index of 1.544 - 1.553.  The refractive index (RI), measured using a refractometer, is an indication of the amount light rays are bent by a mineral.  Birefringence is the difference between the minimum and maximum RI. When birefringence is high, light rays reflect off different parts of the back of a stone causing an apparent doubling of the back facets when viewed through the front facet.

Most gems have a crystalline structure. Crystals have planes of symmetry and are divided into seven symmetry systems. The number of axes, their length, and their angle to each other determine the system to which a crystal belongs.  Green Quartz gemstones belong to the Hexagonal crystal system.  Green Quartz is composed of an irregular superposition of alternate lamellae of right-handed and left-handed quartz. It has been shown that this structure may be due to mechanical stresses. As a consequence of this composite formation, green quartz is apt to break with a rippled fracture or to show "thumb markings", and the intersection of two sets of curved ripples may produce on the fractured surface a pattern something like that of "engine turning".

Because it has a hardness of seven on the Mohs scale, green quartz is suitable for use in any style of jewelry.