Clear Crystal Cluster

With April kicking off next week, we have the perfect opportunity to celebrate the mineral Quartz. Though diamond is considered the modern birthstone for the fourth month, the traditional birthstone – Clear Quartz – is infinitely more fascinating.

Did you know that quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s continental crust? The macrocrystalline (big crystal) varieties of quartz have attractive and visible crystals, but microcrystalline varieties (with crystals that can’t be seen without magnification) are common. It erodes more slowly than most other minerals, so smaller particles accumulate as sand.

If Quartz is broken during the growth process, it can “re-heal,” but pressures may also cause fractures within a crystal. When held in sunlight, a “rainbow effect” is produced in the area of a fracture. The nature of the colors depends on the thickness of the space in the fracture. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the color spectrum by refracting sunlight through a natural crystal. Reflecting rainbows on his wall allowed him to measure the different lengths of the rays of our invisible light spectrum.

Quartz has other interesting properties. A small amount of electricity applied to a crystal makes it vibrate (the piezoelectric property), which is used for quartz watches and similar applications. Also, when two pieces of quartz are rubbed against each other they will produce a flicker of light, called triboluminescence, and a metallic odour.

Quartz has been associated with the presence of gold, and its discovery was therefore seen as a possible predictor of gold strikes. There were gold rushes and mines dug in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas (the site of huge Quartz deposits), but no gold was found in the veins.

In terms of psychic and metaphysical qualities, Clear Quartz is considered the most vital element of any crystal collection. It contains within it the full spectrum of colors, and can thus be used for a variety of purposes: psychic and emotional healing, programming for any of your goals, to balance the chakras, or as a general meditational aid. It has long been believed to remove negative thoughts, increase psychism, enhance meditation and raise consciousness. It has been used in many cultures for healing and in amplifying energy.

Clear Quartz is available in many forms. In addition to attractive jewellery, you can find it in clusters, points, spheres, pyramids, totems, and runestones.

If you’re not already familiar with this extraordinary mineral, make April the month to explore it in all of its forms. Visit Mineral World where we’ll be offering Clear Quartz clusters for 50% off the regular retail price.