rose quartz
American Heritage Dictionary:
Top
rose quartz
n.
A pinkish variety of the mineral quartz, used as a gemstone or as an ornamental stone.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
Top
rose quartz
Translucent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz found in pegmatites. Rose quartz is valued for its pale to rich pink colour, which is due to very small amounts of titanium. It has been carved since early times and has been faceted to provide gems of good brilliance. Its milky aspect is attributed to tiny, needlelike inclusions of rutile, which, when oriented, give the polished stone an asterism (optical phenomenon of a star-shaped figure) like that found in sapphire, but not as sharp or intense. Rose quartz occurs in Brazil, Madagascar, Sweden, Namibia, California, and Maine, among other sites.
For more information on rose quartz, visit Britannica.com.
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'rose quartz'
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
