Red Quartz

QUARTZ (var. RED)

HISTORY, NAME, LOCALITIES: Red quartz is the uncommon, reddish variety of quartz.  Its variety name alludes to its color.  Red quartz has few collecting localities.  Its primary sources are China, Spain, and Brazil.

MINERALOGY, PROPERTIES, OCCURRENCE: The physical properties of red quartz are the same as those of quartz [silicon dioxide, SiO2], with the exception of its diagnostic, orange-red-to-reddish colors, which are caused by a uniform coating of particulate hematite [iron oxide, Fe2O3].  Red quartz is similar to tangerine quartz, but its coating consists of a more finely divided, particulate hematite that produces a deeper red color.  Red quartz crystallizes in the hexagonal system and occurs in granite pegmatites and metamorphic environments as short-to-long, horizontally striated, hexagonal, prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations.  While the quartz itself is transparent to translucent and white or colorless, the hematite coating makes it appear sub-transparent to sub-opaque.  It has a Mohs hardness of 7.0, conchoidal fracture, dull luster, and specific gravity of 2.65.

METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES, LORE, USES: According to metaphysical practitioners, red quartz encourages positive action and produces an abundance of physical energy and vitality; because it also has many of the properties of clear quartz, it is considered a dynamic healing tool.

COLLECTORS’ INFORMATION: Red quartz is collected for its unusual association with hematite, which provides its distinctive reddish color.