Quartz is a stunning clear white mineral known for its crystal shape and hard quality. Quartz has several exceptionally beautiful varieties that are classified as gemstones. Herkimer Diamonds are a type of quartz crystals.
Quartz: Looking Backward and Forward
Throughout history quartz has been a pillar of human culture and progress. Prehistoric man used quartz tools, and quartz lines the walls of prehistoric European tombs. In fact, Quartz is the second most common mineral in the Earth’s crust. While Jade is the famed ancient carving stone of Asia, Quartz was used throughout Europe and the Middle East to create jewelry, extravagant drinking vessels, sculptures, and more.
Early Uses
The first use of a Quartz stone was probably as a hammer.
Thanks to its exceptionally hard qualities, some of the quartz tools prehistoric man used have been found and saved. Attractive pieces of the stone were cut and chipped into wearable pieces of ancient jewelry. For a very long time, quartz was an exceptionally popular and high valued stone for jewelry, rock crystal vases, engravings, and many other elegant pieces.
Popularity Declining &. Price Increasing
In the mid 19th century, quartz started to fall out of fashion with wealthy consumers. At the same time, new scientific advancements kept the stone relevant.
Early electronics depended on quartz crystals, so the market remained extremely competitive. This led to further innovations, like the United States synthesizing their first quartz crystals in 1948.
Quartz in the Modern World
Today, most quartz used by large companies has been fabricated in a lab. A modern quartz countertop may only be 10% natural quartz.
Quartz is still found in electronics, but today virtually all of it is synthetic.
Natural quartz is believed to have positive metaphysical characteristics. Many people keep pieces of quartz crystals in their homes. They strongly believe that having these nearby brings positive energy, and can even help prevent negative energies manifesting in their lives.
