A rainbow of colors show in this pretty ring made of 925 Sterling Silver features 7.18cts of charming Mystic Quartz from Brazil.
Precious metal: 925 Sterling Silver
Average Weight: 3.85g
Number of Gemstones: 1
Shape: Round
Total Carat Weight: 7.18cts
Birthstone
Month: History &
Lore:
Regarding birthstone months for quartz, please refer to the specific variety of quartz.
Quartz
is the
second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar.
There are many different varieties of quartz, several of
which are semi-precious gemstones. Especially in Europe and the Middle East,
varieties of quartz have been used, since antiquity. It is one of the most
commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstone carvings.
Usually called rock crystal,
pure quartz, (sometimes
called clear quartz), is
colorless and transparent (clear) or translucent, and has often been used for
hardstone carvings, such as the Lothair Crystal. Common colored varieties
include citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz, milky quartz, mint quartz
and others.
The word "quartz" comes from the
German Quarz in which is of
Slavic origin (Czech miners called it křemen). Other sources attribute
the word's origin to the Saxon word Querkluftertz, meaning cross-vein ore.
Quartz is the most common material identified
as the mystical substance maban in Australian Aboriginal mythology. It is found
regularly in passage tomb cemeteries in Europe in a burial context, such as
Newgrange or Carrowmore in Ireland. The Irish word for quartz is grian cloch,
which means 'stone of the sun'. Quartz was also used in Prehistoric Ireland, as
well as many other countries, for stone tools; both vein quartz and rock
crystal were shaped as part of the lithic technology of the prehistoric
peoples.
In the 17th century, Nicolas Steno discovered
that regardless of a quartz crystal's size or shape, its long prism faces
always joined at a perfect 60° angle.