Subtly Included Quartz Crystal
A transparent quartz crystal point with just a couple of very subtle inclusions. This natural mineral like many others in our collection was individually chosen during one of our regular trips to South Africa.
Although the mineral quartz occurs in a wide variety of different colours, in its purest form it's colourless and transparent.
Quartz is a naturally occurring crystalline solid which means it's made up of crystals. When subjected to pressure it releases an electrical charge. Correctly known as piezoelectricity this phenomenon was first discovered in 1880 whilst experiments were being carried out on a variety of different crystals. The word piezoelectricity comes from the Greek word 'piezein' meaning to squeeze or press.
The vibration produced by quartz is similar to the the way crystal glasses ring when gently tapped. Ironically glass referred to as crystal is not crystalline at all. The material is simply glass that has had lead added to it and for this reason it's often called lead crystal.
In the metaphysical world quartz is known as a master healing stone that amplifies energy to the highest level. It also energises other crystals. Quartz cleanses and purifies the environment and when placed in the living area of your home will bring light and harmony to the room.
When looking through this transparent crystal it acts as a prism so when white light passes through, it bends. This optical phenomenon is known as refraction. White light an example being daylight is made up of several different colours each of which bends at a slightly different speed as it passes from one medium into the next. For this reason they all come out the other side of the prism separately instead of combined. For refraction of light to take place light must hit the crystal at an angle as opposed to head-on.
If you work at a computer like so many of us do, hold this clear quartz crystal horizontally and look through at it at you computer screen. If necessary rotate it very slightly and you'll be able to see refraction of light.
One of the most common minerals on the planet yet these colourless and translucent quartz crystals never cease to amaze and fascinate.
