Clear Quartz
Clear quartz is sometimes known as ‘Rock Crystal’ is an extremely popular crystal and over the years the crystal found itself in high demand for a variety of different uses, and often called ‘the all singing, all dancing crystal’.
Clear Quartz is the most commonly found crystal on earth. This may be down to the fact that it is found in the earth’s crust, the beaches of the world and even in the seas and rivers. The sands of our finest beaches are in fact made up of millions of tiny quartz crystals. As we all aware the sands aren’t clear like quartz, this is down to the fact that they have been stained with Iron over the years.
Clear Quartz has also given Granite its sparkling appearance with such things you can imagine how much it inspired the wondrous appearance of our ancient cultures.
The most shocking thing that I found was that during modern times quartz has managed to find its way into our homes through everyday items. These items are sandpaper, soaps and Ceramics to name just a few but they are also found in modern appliances like the Radio, Television, Clocks, Watches and even Computers. It is surprising how a crystal that was revered for its qualities has become just as important in our modern lives.
Clear Quartz gives off an electrical charge when compressed this is known as Piezo-electric. It’s this electrical charge that makes it very useful in our modern technology. Due to this the creation of synthetic quartz evolved and they begin to make quartz in labs and using it to regulate the frequency of electrical devices. Armed with such knowledge is it so hard to believe that this crystal has mystical qualities?
The main distinguishing feature of this crystal is its six-sided crystalline form and the complete transparency. This is not always the case has quartz can vary in colour and can be found from perfectly clear which is known as the Herkimer Diamond, to Pink, Purple and even Milky in colour. But our main focus here is the clear quartz!
Before I go into the history of quartz here are just a few interesting facts that I found.
In Brazil the largest quartz that has ever been found weighed a staggering 90,000lbs.
During the 1848 California Gold rush at the site of Sutters Mill the large amounts of quartz that was found had gold veins running through them.
There is also quartz that is doubly terminated and these crystals are called the Herkimer Diamond.
The History of Quartz
History shows us that the Ancient Egyptians used quartz to substitute other more highly regarded stones. The variety quartz that was used was glazed quartz due to its appearance.
In ancient Greece quartz was originally named Krystallos. Krystallos actually translates as Ice, thus reflecting the crystals natural appearance. The term eventually evolved to become the word we all came to know ‘crystal’. Quartz showed up also during China’s Ming Dynasty.
In early and sometimes present British folklore, quartz was considered to have magickal properties. To many there were known as star-stone. These Star Stones were highly sought after due to their amazing natural healing abilities. One myth dictates that if you were to gather Nine star-stones from a natural running brook, boil them in water from gathered from the very same brook, they would give the brew their healing powers. This would then be given to an afflicted person for nine mornings in succession.
Way up in the Shetland Islands quartz once again shows its amazing properties in myth and legend. Women of the islands would collect pebbles and toss them into a pool. They would then place they feet into the pool with the hope of curing sterility. This is a fantastic example of the healing qualities but also of the fertility aspect observed in many quartz myths. Persian people would sometimes use quartz in regards to newborn babies. The properties of the quartz were though to ensure that the child was getting enough of mother’s milk.
In Australia white quartz crystals are highly regarded and contain many magickal powers. For example certain tribes in the Queensland area call them rain-stones and are usually attached to sticks to encourage a good wet season. The ceremony itself involves these rain sticks being part of a ritual dance and chant. Also in Northern Queensland people to this day still search for the white crystals. They go up to the mountains to find them, gather them and return them home. They are then pulverised in a fine powder that is used to either bring the rain or in some shamanistic beliefs ‘be’ the rain itself. The magickal powder is showered over the women of the tribe while they hold large wooden troughs over their heads. This is to represent the idea of keeping off the rain and bringing it to where it is needed. In New South Wales quartz crystal is also regarded as a rain-stone, showing that the idea is not limited to just a handful of tribes. During ceremony the person leading (rainmaker) would place a fragment of quartz into his/her mouth. As the ceremony proceeds it would be spat up at the heavens hoping to bring down the rains.
In North America the native peoples who roamed the lands well before the colonisation by other cultures would use quartz in many of their everyday activities. In archaeological investigations such things as Arrowheads, knives, and ornaments made of quartz have been found. The sites vary but they are often in such places as burial mounds. Quartz crystals mounted upon ceremonial wands have been found in Southern California adding to the notion that this crystal was highly respected and imbued with magickal properties. In Cherokee mythology and in modern times quartz was used for divination. This would often be in the form of small rocks and pebbles of quartz cast in some manner for interpretation. In West Africa there is still the practice of carving ceremonial stools from large chunks of quartz. Among the Hottentots, a piece of sharp quartz is used for the sacrifice of animals and circumcision of young boys. This is due to such things as Iron being taboo and unacceptable, but quartz being strong and often easily worked replaces such things with ease.
Quartz Jewerlley was also discovered in the burial chambers of the pre-columbian civilisation.
