Types Of All Quartz and Treatments

All Quartz types receive different types of treatment/enhancements,  there are very few types of quartz that are not treated.  A few types of quartz that are not colorless and natural are: Latte Quartz,  Champagne Quartz.

Colorless quartz is always untreated. Colored stones can occasionally be enhanced in color by dying (a combination of bathing in color agent solutions, fallowed by heating), irradiation (bombardment with low level radioactivity), or heating. Reliable gem dealers will always inform their customers about any kind of treatment.

Some quartz gems can lose their color saturation over a period of time in daylight. The original color can be restored by X-ray radiation. 

AMETHYST

Normally untreated,  but Amethyst may have a treatment of heat of 878-1382 degrees F (470-750 degrees C) which results in light yellow, red-brown, green or colorless varieties. Some amethysts can lose their color saturation in daylight. The original color can be restored by X-ray radiation. Prasiolite is green amethyst which will be listed separately as PRASIOLITE.

Synthetic Quartz

Synthetic quartz

Most natural crystal quartz tries to form more than one crystal in the same space; a phenomenon known as Brazil Law Twinning, that becomes visible under crossed polars, and renders most natural material unsuitable for electronic applications.  But for a time, twinning was a tool gemologists could use to separate natural from the much purer synthetic quartz, through the observation of twinning lines ...at least it was useful until they began growing twinned crystals, making that tool obsolete, and confounding us once again.

Quartz

Quartz Crystal is one of the most common Minerals on Earth.  With deposits around the world quartz is one of the most loved gems throughout history in the many forms we all love.  Quartz has always been available in a large variety of color, cuts and at a in-expensive price.

There are two main kinds of crystal quartz,  Macro-crystalline and Cryptocrystalline Quartz.

There are two main varieties of crystal quartz of the same chemical composition, silicon dioxide, and similar physical properties. Macro-crystalline quartz, includes stones like: Amethyst, Aventurine, rock crystal, blue quartz,  Citrine,  hawk's eye, Prasiolite, quartz cat's eye, smokey quartz,  rose quartz and tiger's eye.

Macrocrystalline, or simply Crystalline, has crystals with distinct shapes recognizable to the naked eye, that run the gamut from tiny druzies all the way up to crystals larger than a man.  

Amethyst

VARIETY INFORMATION:

• Variety of: Quartz , SiO2 .
• Uses: Gemstones and ornamental stones.
• Birthstone for: February
• Color: various shades of purple.
• Index of refraction: 1.544-1.553
• Birefringence: 0.009
• Hardness: 7
• Cleavage: none
• Crystal system: trigonal
• Pleochroic: no 

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and is a popular gemstone. If it were not for its widespread availability, amethyst would be very expensive. The name "amethyst" comes from the Greek and means "not drunken." This was maybe due to a belief that amethyst would ward off the effects of alcohol, but most likely the Greeks were referring to the almost wine-like color of some stones that they may have encountered. Its color is unparalleled, and even other, more expensive purple gemstones are often compared to its color and beauty. Although it must always be purple to be amethyst, it can and does have a wide range of purple shades.

Amethyst can occur as long prismatic crystals that have a six sided pyramid at either end or can form as druzes that are crystalline crusts that only show the pointed terminations. As a mineral specimen, amethyst is popular for its color and nice crystal shapes that produce a handsome, purple, sparkling cluster.