Crystal Quartz Beads (24)

Quartz

The only mineral that is more abundant on this planet than quartz is feldspar. It is made  up of silicon and oxygen, and with the addition of other elements, quartz comes in many

colors and varieties, many of which are considered semi-precious gems. The word ‘quartz’ is originally German. The most common form for rock crystals is the six-sided prism, which separates white light into its rainbow components.

Rock Crystal Artifacts

Rock crystal was considered was considered to have mystical properties by Aboriginal Australians. The ancient Irish called it “stone of the sun” and used it for tools. It was as popular in Europe and the Middle East as jade was in Asia, and was used extensively for jewelry, carvings, cameos and vases. Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist, thought that quartz was permanently frozen ice, and the word ‘crystal’ actually derives from the Greek word for ‘ice’. He supported this idea by pointing to the fact that spheres made from crystal remain cool to the touch.

Crystallography

Quartz crystals display a property called piezoelectricity, and this led to the use of quartz crystals in clocks, radios and phonographs. When mechanical stress is applied to crystals, they produce voltage. When this was discovered in the early 20th century, efforts began to synthesize quartz crystals for industrial use. Today, rock quartz crystals are valued for their ability to focus, amplify, store and transform energy, and they are used in many kinds of electronic equipment and circuitry.

Healing with Quartz Crystals

Clear quartz crystals are the most popular of all healing stones and are also used for  meditation, chakra balancing, protection and transforming negative energy. Wearing quartz crystal beads can help to attract love or prosperity. Clear, rock crystal prisms are used as part of many magical tools, such as wands and staffs, and has been used for centuries to create crystal balls. Clear quartz helps to strengthen and clarify the intellect, aides concentration and memory, and filters out distractions. When quartz crystal beads are placed under the pillow, they are said to help bring sleep and clarify messages conveyed in dreams. It is also a death stone in some cultures, and crystals are part of funeral rites and often placed in sepulchres, tombs and urns.

Quartz Crystal Jewelry

The clear, icy beauty of quartz crystal beads goes with just about everything. String some faceted beads with blue chalcedony and opals for a wintry creation with a touch of fire. Alternate clear quartz beads with black and white snowflake obsidian, or use some of the clear beads as separators between a rainbow of colored quartz. Whatever combination appeals to you, you can’t go wrong when you get your jewelry supplies at the Bead Traders.