| Rose quartz | |
|---|---|
 Rose quartz from Spain | |
| General | |
| Category | Tectosilicate minerals, quartz variety |
| Formula | Silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) |
| IMA symbol | Qz |
| Strunz classification | 4.DA.05 (Oxides) |
| Dana classification | 75.1.3.1 (Tectosilicates) |
| Crystal system | Trigonal |
| Crystal class | Trapezohedral (class 3 2) |
| Identification | |
| Color | Light pink, rose |
| Crystal habit | Massive |
| Cleavage | None |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Mohs scale hardness | 7 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Translucent to opaque |
| Specific gravity | 2.65 |
| Optical properties | Uniaxial (+) |
| Refractive index | 1.544-1.553 |
| Birefringence | 0.009 |
| Dispersion | 0.013 |
| Common impurities | aluminium, iron |
Rose quartz is a type of quartz that exhibits a pale pink to rose red hue. The color is usually due to trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese in the material. Some rose quartz contains microscopic rutile needles that produce asterism in transmitted light. Recent X-ray diffraction studies suggest that the color is due to thin microscopic fibers of possibly dumortierite within the quartz.[1]
Additionally, there is a rare type of pink quartz (also frequently called crystalline rose quartz) with color that is thought to be caused by trace amounts of phosphate or aluminium. The color in crystals is apparently photosensitive and subject to fading. The first crystals were found in a pegmatite found near Rumford, Maine, US, and in Minas Gerais, Brazil.[2] The crystals found are more transparent and euhedral, due to the impurities of phosphate and aluminium that formed crystalline rose quartz, unlike the iron and microscopic dumortierite fibers that formed rose quartz.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Rose Quartz". Mindat.org. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Quartz and its colored varieties". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Pink Quartz". The Quartz Page. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
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