Judging quality
Look for a complete, sharply outlined phantom that echoes the shape of the outer crystal. Green chlorite phantoms from Brazil and red hematite phantoms from China are the classics; partial or smudged phantoms are common.
Quartz
Phantom Quartz
Quartz that paused during growth long enough for a film of chlorite, hematite or clay to settle on its faces, then resumed — leaving a ghost crystal sealed inside the finished one.
Care
Clean gently; never use ultrasonic cleaners, which can propagate fractures along phantom planes.
History & lore
Nineteenth-century mineralogists called these 'ghost crystals' and used them as evidence for episodic crystal growth.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Phantom Quartz
- What is Phantom Quartz?
- Quartz that paused during growth long enough for a film of chlorite, hematite or clay to settle on its faces, then resumed — leaving a ghost crystal sealed inside the finished one.
- How hard is Phantom Quartz and what is it made of?
- Phantom 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 colorless, green, white, red.
- Where does Phantom Quartz come from?
- Notable localities for Phantom Quartz include Brazil, Madagascar, China (Sichuan).
- How do you tell good Phantom Quartz from filler?
- Look for a complete, sharply outlined phantom that echoes the shape of the outer crystal. Green chlorite phantoms from Brazil and red hematite phantoms from China are the classics; partial or smudged phantoms are common.
- How do you care for Phantom Quartz?
- Clean gently; never use ultrasonic cleaners, which can propagate fractures along phantom planes.
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.