Quartz Crystals For Sale

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Quartz crystals come in a huge variety of colors depending on the mineral impurities present within the crystal lattice. In its most pure, natural state, quartz will be clear, but it can be purple (amethyst), brown/black (smoky quartz), pink (rose quartz), green (prase), red, and about every shade in between. Quartz is the second most common mineral on Earth and can form large, spectacular crystals that are highly desirable among both collectors and those just looking for something beautiful to display.

2574 Items ($3 to $27,500)

Wide, Massive Multi-Window Amethyst Geode - Museum Quality #232885

54" Wide, Massive Multi-Window Amethyst Geode - Museum Quality

$27,500 $22,500

Multi-Window Amethyst Geode on Metal Stand - Spectacular! #227742

38" Multi-Window Amethyst Geode on Metal Stand - Spectacular!

$9,500 $7,500

Hedenbergite Quartz With Pink Fluorite Octahedrals - Mongolia #173037

6.5" Hedenbergite Quartz With Pink Fluorite Octahedrals - Mongolia

$8,950

Deep Purple Amethyst Geode - Metal Stand #227746

22" Deep Purple Amethyst Geode - Metal Stand

$3,950 $3,000

Amethyst Geode Section with Calcite on Metal Stand - Uruguay #209237

21" Amethyst Geode Section with Calcite on Metal Stand - Uruguay

$2,450

Cluster Of Blue Smoke Quartz With Cookeite - Colombia #94188

19" Cluster Of "Blue Smoke" Quartz With Cookeite - Colombia

$1,750

Stunning, Mango Quartz Crystal Cluster - Cabiche, Colombia #188376

9.8" Stunning, Mango Quartz Crystal Cluster - Cabiche, Colombia

$1,495

Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals #250744

14" Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals

$1,495

Huge, Natural Quartz Point With Metal Stand #206907

15.2" Huge, Natural Quartz Point With Metal Stand

$1,450

Massive, Double-Terminated Natural Smoky Quartz Crystal #219223

Massive, 17.4" Double-Terminated Natural Smoky Quartz Crystal

$1,295

Dark Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster on Metal Stand - Brazil #274488

16" Dark Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster on Metal Stand - Brazil

$1,195 $950

Massive, Natural Smoky Quartz Crystal - Brazil #219217

Massive, 15" Natural Smoky Quartz Crystal - Brazil

$1,195

Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals #250925

10.6" Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals

$1,150

Huge, Smoky Quartz Crystal on Metal Stand - Brazil #219132

16" Huge, Smoky Quartz Crystal on Metal Stand - Brazil

$995

Striated Colombian Quartz Crystal Cluster - Peña Blanca Mine #189748

10.3" Striated Colombian Quartz Crystal Cluster - Peña Blanca Mine

$995

Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals #250740

9.9" Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals

$995

Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster on Metal Stand - Brazil #219126

14.5" Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster on Metal Stand - Brazil

$950

Dark Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster on Metal Stand - Brazil #274463

13" Dark Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster on Metal Stand - Brazil

$895

Colombian Quartz Crystal - Colombia #253269

9.8" Colombian Quartz Crystal - Colombia

$895

Lustrous Dark Green Epidote Crystals with Quartz - Turkey #303460

8" Lustrous Dark Green Epidote Crystals with Quartz - Turkey

$795

Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals #250745

9.4" Deep Purple Amethyst Crystal Cluster With Huge Crystals

$795

Mango Quartz Crystal Cluster - Cabiche, Colombia #188374

5.6" Mango Quartz Crystal Cluster - Cabiche, Colombia

$795

Dark Smoky Quartz Crystal With Metal Stand - Giant Point #219130

14" Dark Smoky Quartz Crystal With Metal Stand - Giant Point

$795

Colombian Quartz Crystal - Colombia #253267

10" Colombian Quartz Crystal - Colombia

$795

Amethyst Geode With Metal Stand - Uruguay #306870

13.6" Amethyst Geode With Metal Stand - Uruguay

$745

Deep Purple Amethyst Geode With Metal Stand - Uruguay #306917

10.3" Deep Purple Amethyst Geode With Metal Stand - Uruguay

$735

Sparkly, Purple Amethyst Geode - Uruguay #275675

12.3" Sparkly, Purple Amethyst Geode - Uruguay

$735

18" Giant Polished Rose Quartz Bowl

$675

Dark Purple Amethyst Geode - Uruguay #275663

11.7" Dark Purple Amethyst Geode - Uruguay

$645

Amethyst Geode w/ Calcite on Metal Stand - Uruguay #306879

10.9" Amethyst Geode w/ Calcite on Metal Stand - Uruguay

$595

How Does Quartz Form?

Quartz is primarily made up of two elemental components, silicon (Si) and ixygen (O), both of which are in high abundance on our planet. This combination typically occurs when water high in silicon content (often gained through the breakdown of the surrounding rock) seeps through cracks in rocks and ends up exposed to oxygen within cavities. In this environment, the silicon atoms will bond to oxygen and begin building layers that, over time, result in cavities lined with thousands of crystals. These cavities most often occur by means of tectonic activity, hollow tubes formed by lava, dissolution (breakdown of rock resulting in cavities) or even as solidified bubbles of gas within the earth (geodes).

Quartz formation within a vug/cavity - Silicon-rich solutions deposit silica along the walls of the rock cavities. Long crystals, also known as spears, can form in these cavities when the solution drips more from one location of the rock than the other, explaining why vugs often form a wide variety of crystal sizes in close proximity. The crystals will continue to grow as long as they're provided with the environment necessary for formation. In some instances, a surplus of these minerals will result in a solid vein of quartz where individual crystals can no longer be identified by the naked eye.

Quartz formation within a geode - While there is yet to be a conclusion as to how geodes form, it's widely accepted that they form by means of solidification of gas bubbles (vesicles) within basaltic lava during igneous rock formation and in round cavities within sedimentary rock. The necessary minerals for quartz formation precipitate into these cavities, depositing crystals (most often in an even layer) along the inner wall of the geode.

Quartz Crystal Formations

How a quartz crystal grows is most often dependent on the environment in which it grows. Based on the structure and potential inclusions within the crystal, a lot can be learned about the history of its formation.

Quartz with inclusions - Inclusions often occur when foreign particles find their way into the silicate-rich solution. This can occur by movement of surrounding rock or just an overall change in the flow of solution. Once these particles have a moment to settle, in some cases they’ll settle on the quartz crystal. The quartz crystal continues to grow, provided the environment is still favorable, enclosing those foreign particles within. This can occur over long periods of time (in some cases, millions of years) and in waves, sometimes resulting in quartz that displays multiple layers of zoning (phantoms).

Another way inclusions can occur is when silicon-rich solutions enter a cavity that had prior crystal growths. Rutile and tourmaline are two common minerals that quartz can grow around without interruption of the formation process. This results in some beautiful quartz specimens known as rutilated quartz and tourmalinated quartz.

Tessin Habit Quartz Versus Artichoke Quartz - Tessin Habit, also known as expanding quartz, is a formation of quartz where the crystals dramatically taper down towards their terminations. The base of a Tessin habit crystal is much wider than its termination. This quartz formation occurs in high temperature environments of which the flow solution is high in carbon dioxide. Artichoke Quartz, also known as Rocket Quartz, has an opposite growth pattern, where the base of the crystal will be smaller than the termination. Secondary growth crystals usually surround the center crystal, sprouting out from the center crystal’s faces.

Faden Quartz - A type of quartz formation typically found in mountainous regions. In Pakistan, Quetta in the southeast and the northern provinces have the most well known deposits of these beautiful specimens. These quartz formations occur between cracks in a host rock. The cracks in the rock expand with the crystals, causing ruptures within the crystal from pressure. This rupturing results in “healing” of the crystal in a process that leaves behind a string/thread-like appearance that runs through the crystal formation.

Cathedral Quartz - Occurs when a secondary crystal grows parallel to another quartz crystal formation, often leaving the cluster with a cathedral-like appearance. This crystal formation can be seen in many quartz specimens that come from Brazil, as well as some found in Switzerland, Madagascar, and Africa. Cathedral Quartz can be found all over the world, but these particular locations are known for producing some of the largest, most sought after specimens on the market.

Cactus Quartz - Also commonly referred to as Spirit Quartz, this formation of quartz has an aggregation of smaller secondary crystals that formed in a ring around the center crystal. These secondary quartz crystals are most often at a right angle to the crystal that they form from, giving the quartz a cactus-like appearance. The Magaliesberg Mountains of South Africa are well known for producing spectacular cactus quartz var. amethyst crystal clusters.

Scepter Quartz - This occurs when a knob-like growth of quartz forms on an earlier crystal. This is believed to happen when there is a change to the environment, like change in temperature, composition, or direction of solution flow. The earlier crystal ceases to grow, while a secondary crystal forms at the original crystal’s termination. Provided the solution necessary for quartz formation is still present, the secondary crystal will begin to form, most often in the same orientation as the underlying crystal. Often an influx of iron into the silicon-rich solution will be enough to cause this dramatic change in the quartz crystal’s formation, explaining why many scepter crystals are found as amethyst (variety of quartz).

Inverse Scepter Quartz - A formation of quartz that’s the opposite of scepter quartz. Caused by a reduction of silicon saturation within the solution, the growth of the crystal is altered, slowed and in most cases stunted. This can leave the quartz with a funny appearance similar to that of steeple or a bent finger.

Interrupted Quartz Crystals - Occurs when prior mineral growths interrupt the formation of a quartz crystal. Sometimes the quartz can continue to form relatively normally thanks to the magnetic attraction of the atoms, like in specimens interrupted by very thin sheets of calcite. However, sometimes the calcite or other interrupting mineral is too much for the quartz to engulf without deformation, resulting in growth obstructions and/or alterations that leave crystals with a unique appearance. There are many quartz specimens from Dalnegorsk, Russia that display very strange, deformed crystals because of these interruptions.

”Diamond” Quartz - A type of quartz crystal that forms in sedimentary rock. Often these crystals are relatively small, display beautiful clarity, have smooth faces that have the appearance of being faceted, are double terminated, and their “diamond” name is often preceded by the location from which they are found, i.e. Pakimer Diamond (from Pakistan), Herkimer Diamond (from Herkimer, New York), etc. It’s believed that these crystals form slowly and at a relatively low temperature, explaining their unique clarity and structure.

Varieties Of Quartz

Agate - A microcrystalline variety of quartz commonly associated with igneous and metamorphic rock, occurring within cracks and cavities. Forms in banding patterns from a flowing solution. Can be multicolored and most often displays some translucency.

Jasper - An opaque variety of cryptocrystalline quartz with conchoidal fracturing. While most often red to yellow in color, it can also be green and blue dependent on chemicals present during formation. A jasper specimen is typically multicolored.

Chert - A cryptocrystalline variety of quartz very similar to jasper, however the key characteristic that determines whether a specimen is jasper or chert is the color. A jasper specimen that is a dull brown with no color variation will often be classified as a chert.

Amethyst - A purple variety of quartz that owes its violet color to natural irradiation, iron impurities, and the presence of trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions. It’s considered a semi-precious gemstone, and just two centuries ago was considered to have a value on par with diamonds, sapphires and rubies!

Citrine - A yellow to amber-colored variety of quartz. The yellow color is a result of ferric impurities within the crystal lattice. Most natural citrine specimens are small and are considered quite rare. Most of the larger specimens on the market likely gained their color through unnatural processes: they are usually heat-treated amethysts. If the price for a nice "citrine" specimen seems too good to be true, it likely is.

Prase - A leek-green variety of quartz, often gaining its color from inclusions like hedenbergite.

Prasiolite - Similar to prase quartz, this variety of quartz is also green, but it's quite rare. It is found bearing translucency and a mint-green color. It only comes from a handful of known locations around the world, meaning many specimens on the market are actually heat-treated or radiation-tortured amethyst.

Rose Quartz - A pink variety of quartz that is found in large masses rather than individual crystals. This pink color was thought to be attributed to impurities of titanium, iron and/or manganese, but an x-ray diffraction study in 1987 showed that inclusions of microscopic fibers, thought to be the mineral dumortierite, caused its coloring. Even more recent analysis using other techniques have shown the microscopic fibers are an unidentified or unnamed mineral that is closely related related to dumortierite.

Smoky Quartz - A grey-brown to black variety of quartz. This common name is derived from from the appearance of smoke within the quartz crystal. Dependent on the location and the chemicals present during formation, smoky quartz can appear opaque black, but it’s typically translucent to some extent. It’s believed that the quartz gains this color from a combination of natural irradiation and aluminum impurities.

Tiger's Eye - A variety of quartz that has a fascinating and constantly shifting light effect where gold and brown bands appear to keep reversing as the stone is moved relative to a light source. It gains this chatoyant property from subparallel intergrowths of quartz crystals and altered amphibole fibers that have turned into limonite. It is primarily used for ornamental and lapidary purposes. Primary sources of tiger's eye are South Africa, Australia, and China.

QUARTZ CRYSTALS FOR SALE

How Does Quartz Form?

Quartz Crystal Formations

Varieties Of Quartz