| Name Origin: | The name ‘quartz’ has two potential origins: a German origin, meaning ‘hard’; and a Greek origin that related to quartz as a crystal, meaning ‘ice’. |
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| Colour: | Quartz comes in a huge variety of colours. Quartz is most commonly clear, followed by white quartz. Deep, rich colours are the most valuable. |
| Varieties: | Common types of quartz include amethyst, citrine, onyx, agate, Hawk’s eye and Tiger’s eye. |
| Hardness: | 7 out of 10 on the Mohs scale. |
| Inclusions: | Quartz with few or no inclusions is the most valuable. The exception is when an inclusion is a defining characteristic, as is the case for Hawk’s eye quartz. |
| Other information: | Quartz was one of the first gems to be grown synthetically on a large scale. This began in WWII, when quartz was grown for use in the radios. |
