The brown quartz crystal is one of the most coveted gems of all quartz varieties. Originally it is known as smoky quartz. Its importance is such that since the 12th century it was used to create glasses and visual protectors against bright light, in China.
Below in this article you will find a summary of all the properties, characteristics, meaning and uses of this enigmatic semiprecious stone.
What is brown quartz?
The brown quartz It is a crystalline variety of natural quartz, which is characterized by its grayish brown colors and shades of light to dark brown.
Therefore this crystal belongs to the group of silicate minerals, to the class of tectosilicates and specifically is avariety of crystalline quartz. In addition, its composition is purely silica with aluminum impurities, which is what gives it its characteristic color.
It is more popularly known as smoky quartz, and it is a highly coveted stone worldwide because, thanks to its beauty, it is used in jewelery and because it is believed to have many benefits for the body and spirit.
Why is it brown?
The brown color in this stone it is due to aluminum impurities that are introduced during its formation in the chemical composition and in the crystalline network of the mineral.
Now the brown color appears when the mineral begins to crystallize from hydrothermal fluids in spaces of the rock, then the natural radiation of the rocks that surround the mineral causes the aluminum to turn brown within the quartz.
This process is very similar to what happens with the purple quartz or amethyst, where the radiation affects the iron impurities and gives it the violet hue.
Brown quartz stone meaning
From antiquity to brown quartz crystal You have been given a connection to Mother Earth and all of her components. Therefore it is believed that it is a talisman capable of serving as an anchor and a connection between the human being and nature, with the aim of attracting all the positive energy in the environment.
In other eastern cultures, this brown crystal was known as a power stone, and basically signified the powerful dark power of the gods towards the planet.
It is also related to the power of being a protective stone capable of protecting its owner from negative energies from the environment and from other people.
Currently, the brown quartz stone means naturalness, balance, vigour, confidence and strength.
Properties and characteristics of the brown quartz mineral
These stones belong to the quartz family and therefore retain most of the physical and chemical properties of this mineral.
For example, its hardness on the Mohs scale is 7, which gives it good wear resistance and makes it a suitable crystal for use in high-quality jewelry and costume jewellery.
It crystallizes in the trigonal system, for this reason it appears as elongated prismatic crystals, very well formed in drusen and geodes.
Its brown color is due to gamma radiation that affects the aluminum impurities that are inside the mineral glass, however its main composition is silica and its formula is SiO2.
Below is a summary table with the most important properties and characteristics that serve for the correct identification of the stone.
| Brown Quartz | Physical properties and characteristics |
|---|---|
| chemical classification | silicate, tectosilicate |
| Color | Light brown, Dark brown, Grey-brown |
| Stripe | Colorless |
| luster or shine | Vitreous |
| diaphanousness | transparent to translucent |
| cleavage | None – usually breaks with a conchoidal fracture |
| Mohs hardness | 7 |
| specific gravity | 2.6 to 2.7 gr/cm3 |
| Diagnostic properties | Conchoidal fracture, glassy shine, hardness |
| Chemical composition | SiO2 |
| crystal system | Hexagonal |
| what is it for | Precious stone, ornamental stone, jewelry |
Brown quartz stone deposits
Brown quartz naturally occurs related to quartz veins and pegmatite dikesthat affect any type of rock, however this crystal is specifically related to low crystallization temperatures from hydrothermal fluids in sedimentary rock spaces.
Its best-known deposits are in Brazil, the United States and Switzerland.
Uses of brown quartz crystal
Uses in jewelry
Due to its excellent resistance and its great natural beauty, this brown-colored gem is used to manufacture various high-quality jewelry accessories at an affordable price, due to the fact that it is naturally a very abundant mineral in the earth’s crust.
The accessories that are manufactured are necklaces, cabochons, bracelets, pendants, earrings and much more.
Uses as ornamental stone
Due to its origin and formation from aluminum-rich hydrothermal fluids that crystallize in sedimentary rock spaces, it appears many times forming drusen and geodes, which is why it is of interest to collectors who use it to decorate their homes and museums.