Hobbies And Interests
Amethyst
Violet in color, amethyst comes mainly from Uruguay and Brazil. Amethyst is supposed to keep its owner from becoming drunk on alcohol, hence the word "amethyst" comes from the Greek word "methy," meaning to be drunk.
Tiger's Eye
Tiger's eye is gold, brown and yellow. This color is produced by the iron within it. It has a stripy appearance of browns and yellows, and can resemble the eye of a tiger if the stone is cut into an oval. It is found in South Africa, India and California.
Aventurine
Aventurine has a metallic sheen and is deep green in color, caused by the presence of fuchsite. It is also available in orange, red, yellow and blue. Due to its irregular structure, it still has rough parts even when it's polished.
Blue Quartz
Blue quartz is colorless quartz that is blue because of the presence of magnesioriebeckite and tourmaline in the quartz. The color varies from deep blue to gray, and it is translucent. Blue quartz is mined in Brazil.
Colorless Quartz
Colorless quartz, also known as rock crystal, is clear and colorless. It is the basic type of quartz and is formed from oxygen and silicon. Large quartz crystals from the Alps formed over several million years during the formation of the mountains themselves. Colorless quartz can also be found in Arkansas and Russia.
Citrine
Citrine is a transparent yellow color. It is a rare quartz, hence fake specimens are made by heat-treating amethyst. When illuminated from the front, citrine appears to be dark green, but when illuminated from the back, it shows its glorious yellows.
Milky Quartz
This white quartz is almost opaque due to the gases distributed within it. It is usually shaped irregularly because of its unsteady growth and formation. It is found in the Harz Mountains in Germany.
Prase
Prase is a dark-green quartz that has very little shine. It is green because of the presence of chlorite. Prase is usually found within rocks that were formed when rock magma from igneous rocks mixed into carbonate rocks.
Rose Quartz
Rose quartz can range from transparent to translucent and is pink in color. When a pinpoint of light is shined into a ball of star rose quartz, the light is diffused through the ball in the shape of a star. Star rose quartz is found only in Madagascar.
Smoky Quartz
Smoky quartz is a brown, transparent color. As there is not a great demand for brown gemstones, its commercial market is limited. The color is caused by traces of aluminum. Smoky quartz is found within volcanic and igneous rocks in Austria, China and Germany.