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Lithium Quartz, Meaning, Properties, and Facts
Quartz · SiO2Mohs 7Trigonal
Lithium quartz is a trade name for quartz clouded lavender, pink or gray by very fine mineral inclusions, sold mostly from Brazil. Below: what is inside it and what is only claimed, its properties, how to judge a piece, care, price and the lore.
What is lithium quartz
Lithium quartz is quartz with a haze of very fine inclusions that tints it lavender, pink or gray, often in layers just under the crystal faces. Sellers say the inclusions are a lithium mineral, usually named as lepidolite, the lilac lithium mica that is also sold as a stone of its own. That claim is rarely backed by testing for any given piece, so treat lithium as part of a trade name, not a lab result. Mindat keeps a lithium quartz entry with reported localities.
Lithium quartz properties
Lithium quartz properties are quartz properties, because the inclusions make up a tiny share of the stone:
| Mineral | Quartz with fine inclusions (trade name) |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | SiO2 host; inclusions said to contain lithium |
| Color cause | Fine inclusions, not the quartz itself |
| Hardness | 7 on the Mohs scale |
| Crystal system | Trigonal |
| Luster | Glassy (vitreous) |
| Specific gravity | About 2.65 |
| Main localities | Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Water safe | Yes |
Where lithium quartz is found
Lithium quartz is found mainly in Brazil, and most pieces on the market carry a Minas Gerais label. That state supplies much of the world's crystal quartz and also mines lithium ore, mostly spodumene, from pegmatites, which is part of why the lithium story sounds plausible. A lithium-rich region still does not prove what is inside a given crystal.
Lithium quartz colors and phantoms
Lithium quartz colors run from pale lavender and pink to gray, depending on how dense the inclusions are and where they sit. In many points the color forms phantoms: ghost outlines of an earlier crystal inside the finished one, made when a dusting of inclusions settled on the faces mid-growth and clear quartz grew over it. Gray pieces are common, and the same phantom effect turns up across the quartz family.
How to tell if lithium quartz is real
How to tell if lithium quartz is real is mostly about the quartz, since the lithium claim cannot be checked at home. Real pieces are natural quartz points with the color inside the crystal, often in phantoms, and they scratch glass. Color only on the surface, in cracks or in neon shades points to dye or a coating. A seller who calls lithium quartz a dose of lithium is selling a story.
Lithium quartz care: water and sun
Lithium quartz care is the same as for any quartz point: it can go in water, so rinse it, dry it and keep it from knocking against other crystals, which chips points. Its color sits in inclusions rather than in radiation-made color centers, so fading is less of a worry than with amethyst, but a hot, sunny window is still a poor home for any crystal.
Lithium quartz price
Lithium quartz price follows the usual quartz rules: strength of color, clarity, sharp undamaged tips and size. Crisp phantoms and a clean termination cost more than a cloudy or chipped point, whatever the label says about lithium.
Lithium quartz meaning and benefits
Lithium quartz meaning and benefits, in crystal lore, center on calm and stress relief, an idea that leans on the name, since lithium salts are a psychiatric medicine. That is belief, not chemistry. Lithium in medicine is a measured dose of a salt; lithium in a rock, if it is there at all, stays locked in a crystal. Enjoy it for the phantoms.
Lithium quartz for sale
Lithium quartz for sale at geoslut arrives in drops of one-of-one pieces, each photographed in daylight and labeled with its mineral and locality, and the list hears first. See quartz for the current drop.
Lithium Quartz FAQ
Does lithium quartz contain lithium?
Lithium quartz may contain a little lithium in its inclusions, but that is the trade's claim, and the pieces sold are rarely tested.
Is lithium quartz the same as lepidolite?
Lithium quartz is not the same as lepidolite: lepidolite is a soft, flaky lilac mica, while lithium quartz is hard quartz with fine inclusions that sellers credit to lepidolite or another lithium mineral.
Can lithium quartz go in water?
Lithium quartz can go in water: it is quartz, 7 on the Mohs scale, with its inclusions sealed inside.
Where does lithium quartz come from?
Lithium quartz comes from Brazil, and most pieces on the market are labeled Minas Gerais.
What color is lithium quartz?
Lithium quartz color runs from lavender and pink to gray, set by fine inclusions inside the crystal.
Sources
- Lithium Quartz, Mindat
- Quartz, Mindat
- Lepidolite, Wikipedia