Quartz crystals where to find

The manufactured crystal grows on this seed crystal. Quartz crystal is one of several minerals which are piezoelectric, meaning that when pressure is applied to quartz, a positive electrical charge is created at one end of the crystal and a negative electrical charge is created at the other.

These properties make quartz valuable in electronics applications. Electronics-grade manufactured quartz is used in a large number of circuits for consumer electronics products such as computers, cell phones, televisions, radios, electronic games, etc. It is also used to make frequency control devices and electronic filters that remove defined electromagnetic frequencies. Skip to content Return to Minerals Database.

Crystal System trigonal Color Pure quartz is clear. Luster vitreous, waxy, dull Fracture conchoidal. These semiprecious stones are popular in jewelry like bracelets and necklaces. Tourmalines are most commonly found in California and Maine. Tourmalines easily mimic the appearance of many other types of gemstones, so a tourmaline has to be identified by a gemologist to be verified as a tourmaline.

The rarest tourmaline you can find is neon blue or green with copper tones, so the brighter the color of tourmaline, the higher the quality. The larger stones are more expensive, as is true with most gemstones. The price of tourmaline can vary greatly, with some types being inexpensive and others costing thousands of dollars.

High-quality tourmaline is usually only found in Brazil, however. Malachite is a dark green semiprecious stone that is opaque in color , with rings and spots that form random and beautiful patterns over the surface. It is formed within limestone and is often used to make beads or carvings. Malachite is an extremely common stone and can be found almost anywhere in the world.

Here are the places where malachite can be found within the United States:. Malachite is a cheap stone that is often bought and sold in bulk. The quality of malachite is generally determined by the vibrancy of its color and how striking its spots and markings are.

Since malachite pieces are usually one-of-a-kind, beauty is in the eye of the beholder with this stone. Turquoise is recognized by its vibrant blue-green color with webs of gleaming copper running through. Natural turquoise will often be seen as a vein in the rock, almost like a river climbing through it. A natural turquoise will have webbing on it. The best way to identify the turquoise is by running your nail over the rock until it hits the webbing.

After that, you will need to consider the hardness of the material. Turquoise is the state gemstone of New Mexico , but it can be found within many American states. Here are some of the other states turquoise can also be found in:. Turquoise can also be found in many other countries around the world, including Mexico, Egypt, Iran, and China. Lander Blue turquoise is considered the highest-quality and rarest form of turquoise.

Another turquoise that is considered high quality is any turquoise with an even and intense blue coloring. Since it has been extensively mined, turquoise has only increased in rarity and is quickly becoming more valuable. Jade is a cool green stone that is actually a mixture of nephrite and jadeite. In some cultures, such as China, jade is a prized gemstone and is considered representative of heaven.

For thousands of years, jade has been used for making a variety of religious ornaments, including tools, sculptures, and talismans.

Jade is naturally a matte, dark mint green color. Real jade should feel completely smooth and cold to the touch. In the United States, jade is usually found in the northwestern states, particularly the following states:.

Jade is one of the most valuable stones in the world, partially due to widespread demand across China. TIP: Start with rockhounding in your backyard is a great way to get your kids started with rockhounding. I wrote the best tips for you in the article below:.

There are many other things you can potentially find, including the following:. Several kinds of fossils can be uncovered in your backyard, from shark teeth to trilobites to stone imprints of animal tracks or plant leaves.

Another treasure you might find depending on your geographical location is flint or obsidian arrowheads, pottery shards, and other native artifacts. BTW: Do you want to know more about rocks and minerals identification? The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet Amazon links :. A full-sized shovel is needed to get down deep enough into the topsoil that you have a decent chance of finding gemstones.

A trowel is useful for finer digging work and can be used to define the edges of a hole or pry a larger rock out of the topsoil without damaging it. For sifting through rocky topsoil quickly, rolling loose gravel around in a mining pan and rinsing it with water can help reveal gemstones hidden among the gravel. A microfiber cloth can be used to gently brush dirt and grit away from a rock so that it can be examined more closely and identified.

An opaque plastic bucket or another container can be used to put keeper rocks in so they can be kept separate from throwaways with less risk of being lost in the grass. White is a good color to use since the stones show up sharply in contrast, making them easier to find and pick out. TIP: Good equipment is really important when you rockhounding. To be sure you know what is the best equipment for rockhounding, check out my list of recommended equipment:.

While you can find some gemstone types in your backyard or even on your walk around the block, there are several other locations you can also find them. You might have the chance to find a geode, but these kinds of hunts will require some serious research before going out. This is a relatively popular method because you can dig in the mine and keep anything you find. If you have heard about the site from other rockhounds they will hopefully also know who to contact for permission. Tip: Always get permission from the land owner before searching old mine tailings.

Also, please be sure never to enter old mine shafts. The mine tailings are relatively safe to search because they are above ground, but old mine shafts are notoriously unsafe. They are unstable and can collapse on you, and often contain dangerous gasses.

Always be responsible and safe when rockhounding, both for your benefit and so as not to give other rockhounders a bad reputation. Finding these old mine tailings is often the hardest part for aspiring rockhounds.

In most cases, joining a local rockhounding group and getting to know your local rock shop owner will be your best bet for finding the best places to look. You can also search online or buy a local rockhounding guide book. One of the most exciting places to find quartz crystals is in quartz veins.

These veins run through various types of rock and can contain large, high quality crystals. You can find them in both igneous and sedimentary rock, which means that you can probably find one fairly close to you regardless of where you live.

Most quartz veins form in already existing cracks in rock. These cracks can be in pretty much any type of rock, they just need to be large enough to allow for the formation of crystals. Water seeps into the cracks carrying dissolved silica, and the silica then forms into quartz crystals. Prospecting and locating these veins is tricky and can take years of experience to perfect, but there are some basic methods you can start with. If you can find an exposed rock face or hill with lots of outcrops then that will be a good place to start looking.

If a quartz crystal vein is present in these areas then you should be able to find some evidence of them near the base of the rock outcrops. Over time, these rocks will be weathered and worn, but the quartz crystals will remain intact because they are harder and more resistant to weathering. That means the crystals will fall out of the vein and onto the ground, where they will gradually be moved by natural processes.

Your best bet will be to dig around at the base of the vein and look for any crystals that have naturally fallen out of the vein over time. If you find crystals hiding in a pocket then sometimes you can just reach in and grab them.

Having some specialty pocket tools like extra-long flathead screwdrivers and long needle-nosed pliers will come in very handy in this situation. Believe it or not, sometimes you can find quartz crystals just laying on the ground! Tip: Go rockhounding after a good rain.