Judging quality
Inclusions are three-dimensional and layered at different depths, which is what separates a good scenic piece from a muddy one. Judge the composition as you would a painting.
Quartz
Lodolite (Garden Quartz)
Clear quartz with mineral inclusions arranged into landscapes — mossy hills, undersea scenes, drifting clouds. Cutters orient the rough deliberately so that the interior scene reads through the polished face.
Care
Hard and undemanding.
History & lore
Also called shaman quartz or scenic quartz; Brazilian miners simply call it lodo, mud.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Lodolite (Garden Quartz)
- What is Lodolite (Garden Quartz)?
- Clear quartz with mineral inclusions arranged into landscapes — mossy hills, undersea scenes, drifting clouds. Cutters orient the rough deliberately so that the interior scene reads through the polished face.
- How hard is Lodolite (Garden Quartz) and what is it made of?
- Lodolite (Garden Quartz) is a Quartz-family mineral with the composition SiO2 with chlorite & clay. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in clear, green, brown, red.
- Where does Lodolite (Garden Quartz) come from?
- Notable localities for Lodolite (Garden Quartz) include Minas Gerais, Brazil, Madagascar.
- How do you tell good Lodolite (Garden Quartz) from filler?
- Inclusions are three-dimensional and layered at different depths, which is what separates a good scenic piece from a muddy one. Judge the composition as you would a painting.
- How do you care for Lodolite (Garden Quartz)?
- Hard and undemanding.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.