Judging quality
Opaque white with a greasy fracture; a strong torch behind it shows a milky glow rather than the flat white of marble or howlite.
Quartz
Milky Quartz
Quartz clouded white by countless microscopic fluid inclusions trapped during growth. The most abundant form of crystalline quartz on the planet and the white vein rock of countless mountainsides.
Care
Hard and effectively indestructible.
History & lore
Quartz vein 'lucky stones' appear in field walls, cairns and grave markers across northern Europe and Appalachia.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Milky Quartz
- What is Milky Quartz?
- Quartz clouded white by countless microscopic fluid inclusions trapped during growth. The most abundant form of crystalline quartz on the planet and the white vein rock of countless mountainsides.
- How hard is Milky Quartz and what is it made of?
- Milky Quartz is a Quartz-family mineral with the composition SiO2. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in white, cream.
- Where does Milky Quartz come from?
- Notable localities for Milky Quartz include Worldwide, Brazil, Arkansas, USA, Madagascar.
- How do you tell good Milky Quartz from filler?
- Opaque white with a greasy fracture; a strong torch behind it shows a milky glow rather than the flat white of marble or howlite.
- How do you care for Milky Quartz?
- Hard and effectively indestructible.
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.