The orange quartz within the world of precious and semi-precious stones is one of the most demanded jewels or gems worldwide, due to its great beauty and for all the beliefs behind it, some claim that it even has benefits for the body and mind. mind. In a natural way it is very rare to find an orange quartz, in fact the largest amount of orange quartz crystals in the world come from the artificial heating of the amethyst stone.
Below we present all the properties, characteristics, meaning and uses of this stone.
What is orange quartz?
The orange quartz stone It is a crystalline, transparent and orange variety of the mineral quartz. This stone is also known as citrine quartz. In fact, this name is much better known worldwide.
Therefore, the orange quartz crystal is a mineral that belongs to the group of silicates, tectosilicates, and specifically is a crystal variety of quartz.
Orange quartz crystal meaning
There are many beliefs behind this enigmatic orange mineral. Many cultures associate him with open mind, imagination, personal will and creativity. It is believed that it naturally stimulates the chakras, achieving balance and clearing the mind.
Because natural quartz is very rare in nature, it is believed that it does not accumulate or retain negative energy, but rather dissipates or repels it, which is why many cultures use it as an excellent protective stone. It is said to help remove all negative thoughts from the person.
Currently the orange quartz means or denotes joy, youth, vitality and innovation.
Properties and characteristics of the orange quartz stone
The orange quartz mineral It occurs in colors from yellow to dark orange, although naturally it is more common to present in very faint orange tones.
In fact the crystals that have a deep orange color are very rare and most come from artificial thermal heating of the amethyst quartz.
It should also be mentioned that it retains all the physical and chemical properties of quartz, that is, it is mainly made up of silica (SiO2) and has a medium-high hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Below is a summary table with the most important properties and characteristics that orange quartz has and that serve for its correct identification.
| orange quartz | Physical properties and characteristics |
|---|---|
| chemical classification | Silicate, tectosilicate, quartz type |
| Color | Light grey, dark gray to greyish 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 |
Deposits of the orange quartz stone
There are very few places where orange quartz crystals form, and its geologic setting is restricted to pegmatites. These places are Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Madagascar and Mexico.
The most important source of amethyst that is heat treated to produce artificial orange quartz is also eastern Brazil.
Finally Russia is the most important source of synthetic citrine.
Uses of orange quartz
Uses in jewelry
This gem is used mainly in the jewelry industry Y imitation jewelry Incredible accessories such as bracelets, chains, pendants, necklaces, earrings and much more are made with this crystal. The market value or price is usually not very high and is usually within everyone’s reach. However, the natural orange quartz stones become a little more expensive than the stones that come from the treatment of amethyst.
Uses in the ornamental sector
As mentioned, it is common to find it associated with pegmatites and minerals that exceed 2 centimeters in length in geodes and druses. So it is attractive to collectors who use it to decorate spaces in homes, offices, shopping centers and museums.