6.4" Polished Hematite (Harlequin) Quartz Sphere - 14.5 lbs

Hematoid quartz, also commonly referred to as Harlequin Quartz, is the name for quartz that contains heavy concentrations of hematite or limonite. The inclusions of these iron based minerals result in interesting reddish-orange streaks along fractures within the quartz, exhibiting a wispy appearance. Often this quartz is heat-treated to enhance and darken the color, but the specimens we have are natural.

Quartz is the name given to silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich environments--usually igneous rocks or hydrothermal environments like geothermal waters--at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. In either case, crystals will precipitate as temperatures cool, just as ice gradually forms when water freezes. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountain formation: these veins can be hundreds of millions of years old.