QUARTZ (var. FADEN)

HISTORY, NAME, LOCALITIES: Faden quartz has been known since antiquity.  The word “quartz” originated with the Slavic kwardy, meaning “hard,” and alluding to its substantial hardness; the word “faden,” which is German for “thread” or “fiber,” refers to the thread-like appearance of the faden inclusions.  Notable sources are located in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Pakistan, and the United States (Arkansas).

MINERALOGY, PROPERTIES, OCCURRENCE:  The properties of the faden variety of quartz are the same as those of other types of macrocrystalline quartz [silicon dioxide, SiO2].  Faden quartz crystallizes in the hexagonal system, forms in hydrothermal veins and granite pegmatites, and occurs as geode linings with short-to-long, horizontally striated, hexagonal, prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations and water-clear transparency.  It has a Mohs hardness of 7.0, a conchoidal fracture, a vitreous luster, and a specific gravity of 2.65.  Faden quartz, which is rare, is distinguished by feathery or fibrous, milky-white inclusions that often resemble threads.  These inclusions formed when uneven crystal growth created networks of micro-cracks or channels that allowed hydrothermal fluids to enter the crystal and become trapped as millions of tiny, fluid inclusions.

METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES, LORE, USES:  Faden quartz has no technological uses.  Metaphysical practitioners believe that faden quartz is a “communication” crystal that facilitates connections with the spirit world and encourages telepathic visions of the future.

COLLECTORS’ INFORMATION: Faden quartz is collected for its rarity and the interesting variety of faden-type inclusions.