Rose Quartz

Rose quartz is the pink variety of quartz. Its color ranges from very pale pink, almost white, to medium-dark pink, and it is usually a little cloudy rather than fully transparent. If you want diamond sparkle, look elsewhere. If you want softness, you are in the right place.

For years the color was blamed on titanium or on tiny needles of the mineral rutile. More recent research traced it to microscopic fibers of a silicate mineral related to dumortierite, trapped inside the quartz. The same fibers cause its milky look, so the color and the haze come as a package deal.

Rose quartz almost always occurs as massive chunks, without neat crystal faces. Well-formed pink crystals are rare, and they are usually "pink quartz": a related material whose color forms differently and can fade in light. Massive rose quartz, by contrast, keeps its color.

People have been using this stone for a very long time. According to GIA, rose quartz beads from 7000 BC have been found in Mesopotamia (today's Iraq), and the Assyrians made jewelry from it around 800–600 BC. The Romans used it as a seal to mark ownership, and the ancient Egyptians believed it prevented aging. If it worked, they left no before-and-after pictures.

Most rose quartz on the market comes from Brazil, with other sources in India, Madagascar, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Because it is cloudy, it is rarely faceted like transparent gems. You will mostly find it as beads, polished stones, hearts, spheres and small carvings.