O.R.E.’S Featured Gemstone: Quartz Crystal
by Stephanie Pflumm
It does not matter where you live, you should not have to dig around in your back yard for very long to find some kind of silicon dioxide specimen. A Quartz Crystal. This is not surprising considering this energetic mineral is made up of the two most plentiful substances on the planet - silicon & oxygen. Quartz is found in almost every geological environment; pegmatite, metamorphic & igneous formations. It is a component of virtually every rock type. Two of the gemstones already reviewed in O.R.E. FEATURES are quartz stones, Rose Quartz & Amethyst. Citrine, Milky Quartz & Smoky Quartz are other popular Quartz Crystals.
For this feature, we’ll be examining clear, smoky & milky Quartz.
Quartz Crystals have been used in jewelry for over 4,000 years; before that it was being utilized for tools & weapons. Today we use Quartz for radio transmissions, watch movements, jewelry, metaphysical tools & more.
In the United States, this plentiful stone is found coast to coast. In Calveras County, California, cobbles & round crystals have been found in ancient stream channels around the Mokelumne Hill area of that county. In San Diego County, Hiriart Hill is full of pegmatites that have produced Quartz Crystals large enought to cut into spheres 90 to 150 millimeters in diameter.
Herkimer County New York is famous for “Herkimer Diamonds”. Quart Crystals, often forming double terminated points are found among rock outcrops & associated soils along a several mile belt between Middleville & Herkimer New York.
Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, Nevada, North & South Carolina & Washington are among some of the other areas just in the US where Quartz Crystal specimens are found.
The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas is where the Quartz Crystal points available at Ozark Rock Exchange come from. It was an extremely long geological process that created these gemstones.
It begins hundreds of millions of years ago under a shallow sea basin that collected quartz & silica sediment particles over millions of years. First the North American Continental Plate rotated into it’s present position, then collided with the European Continential Plate to create the Appalachian Mountains. Meanwhile the Ouachita Basin is still collecting quartz & silica sediment.
Finally, just a mere 280 million years ago, the Llanorian land mass collided with the under plate of North America. The tremendous forces from this collision began the chain of events that would create the Ouachita Mountains. As the mountains rose, tremendous pressures produced extremely hot water trying to find it’s way out. Water temperatures reached up to 500 degreee F. This primal mixture of water & pressurized quartz & silica sediment went looking for the path of least resistance filling holes & gaps as it tried to find it’s way out of the earth.
It is in these pockets that the silica reacted with the quartz & crystals began to grow.
Quartz Crystal is found just as abundantly throughout the world, as it is on the North American Continent. These Quartz formations can be anywhere from spring water clear, to a milky white to a smoky topaz in color.
The milky appearance in white Quartz Crystals comes from fluid inclusions. Often a clear quartz will form over a milky to create phantoms or inclusions within the stone. These give the Quartz more depth. Milky Quartz is associated with hydrothermal veins of gold as well. If you have found Milky Quartz, you may be close to gold!
Geologists are not sure where the topaz coloring comes from in a Smoky Quartz. Most conclude that it is the result of the stone being exposed to radiation. Jewelers & rock dealers have sometimes stooped to irradiating Quartz Crystals to create “Smoky Quartz”.
Quartz Crystal has an ancient history as a stone of Power. It builds the connection between the physical & mental dimensions helping to bring a clarity of thought & intention.
It will work as a communication tool between you & your Spirit Guides, Teachers or Healing Aids, & allow you be more open to psychic impressions. Use a Quartz Crystal to access the records of your past lives
When working with your chakras, Quartz will attune very well to the heart chakra & can be used to activate the “third eye” or brow chakra. Placing a crystal on your third eye during meditation allows you to focus more clearly & will magnify images & thoughts for easier evaluation. Additionally, the crown chakra may also be opened using a Quartz Crystal.
The spiraling nature of the Quartz Crystal structure (Amethyst Vol 1 Issue 3), also makes it useful for clearing a pathway for the movement of the Kundalini.
You may use Quartz Crystal in protective magic or in purification rituals. In fact this powerful stone will easily attune to & enhance any energy you are working to create.
This versatile crystal is a must in any healing collection. It will aid in boosting the immune system, can increase vitality & is beneficial in relieving pain. In Mideaval times Quartz was used to relieve fevers by placing a Crystal on the tongue.
It will aid in circulation, assist in eliminating toxins & help with digestive disorders. Quartz will also work to unblock energy centers allowing the body to heal itself.
Crystal clusters can be utilized as energy “generators”. Activating & enhancing the powers & energies of other gemstones. They can also be effective in bringing harmony & peace to group energies.
Milky Quartz is associated with the “star people” & provides for communication among the galaxies. It also is a good stone for children & novices just beginning to practice as its energies are calmer. This Quartz emanates the energy needed to renew the spiritual health of our Mother Earth.
Smoky Quartz takes you back to ground zero in past life regression, allowing this information to come through in a stable atmosphere. Giving you the ability to assess & use information culled from those past experiences.
Quartz Crystals grow in a variety of ways; with additional points growing away from
each other, with multiple points grown together, double terminated tips & more. In
the January issue of O.R.E. FEATURES, we’ll explore what energies & properties these
different shapes bring to the Crystal.
This information is taken from Ozark Rock Exchange
If you have any questions or would like further information, please Email me
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