There is tons of this stuff in the market today. Some is in varieties we’ve been familiar with like Rutilated Quartz, but every year new varieties surface. When new gem varieties seem hard to come by, why does Quartz always seem to provide with something new?
First and probably the most important is that most of the unusual included Quartzes are not new discoveries. In fact, most come from waste piles of mining operations searching for more valuable gems. Recently the popularity has driven the price of these just high enough to attract some to try to squeeze a few more dollars out of the mine run. We are the beneficiaries.
Just off the top of my head I can think of 10 types of inclusions popular in Quartz. I bet if we put our minds together, we’d come up with at least 20. There’s the most common ones Rutile and Tourmaline. Rutile is the thin often hairlike gold to red needles you see while Tourmaline inclusions tend to be slightly thicker and black. Gold and Silver and often found in Quartz and usually mined out of it, but you will see this material in the market. Pyrite and Hematite provide a similar metallic look in Quartz while Gilalite and Covalite provide a completely different look. Gilalite makes turquoise blue bubble inclusions that when saturated produces a gem that has the color of Paraiba Tourmaline. Tiny Covalite inclusions create the “fire” in the rare Fire Quartz. I’m already thinking of more than ten, but let’s close it up by mentioning Emerald and Water. Million year old water can be found trapped in Quartz crystals. These are called Enhydro Quartz and are very cool.
|
