How much is a quartz crystal worth?

Answer 1

$500,000

That figure would be nice but the value of a crystal is dependent on many things: size, quality, is it cut or natural. Some antique crystals have value to collectors, the amount depends on the market, and the best crystals in the world come from Austria, they have the highest lead count and are sold by Swraovsky.

If its in good quality, large in size, and is found in Pennsylvania is it worth much? Also, I have one and its sorta an orangey color. so what kind is it? You can contact me on yahoo.com and my email is clairerose6@yahoo.com. Please let me know if you get any information. ;)

Correction

This statement is false: and the best crystals in the world come from Austria, they have the highest lead count and are sold by Swraovsky.

Swarovski is actually not quartz crystal. It is crystal glass, which has quartz in it. Considering this question is under the "Rockhounding and Mineral Collecting" category, the original question is most likely asking about real quartz crystal, which does not have lead in it.

Excellent quartz is mined all over the world. China has some amazing material that is new to the market. Price depends on what type it is: Citrine, amethyst, rock (clear), smoky, phantom, amphibole, tibetan, lemurian, herkimer...and the rarity of the inclusions (tourmaline, rutile...) Price also depends on size, clarity, beauty, it's growth form, how much damage it has sustained, whether it is intact, cut, polished. Try searching your type of quartz in Google products to get an idea what other people are selling theirs for, as the market is constantly changing.

Claire. Your orange quartz is probably included with hematite, which stains quartz red or orange. I have heard the oranger of these stones called papaya quartz if it does not have a phantom, and if there is a phantom, then "red phantom quartz" would be appropriate. If it has anything milky/cloudy in there, that could be kaolinite (whitish) or yellow would be limonite. Stones with anything in the amphibole family or with ambiguous mineral combinations are also called amphibole quartz.

Answer 2

I doubt you could get anything for it. Natural Quartz, to my understanding at least, is worthless. Quartz used for industrial/consumer purposes is always synthesised as the quality of the crystals in normal quartz is poor. Here are some ways to get money for Quartz:

• Convince someone that it's worth something
• Convince someone that it's not Quartz (i.e. a different mineral - perhaps a dye would help)
• If it's a good looking specimen, you might be able to sell it to a geology shop (though there aren't many of those around!)

You are unlikely to get a good price for it. It's as common as muck. Anyone can go to a mountain and pick up a sample; hey, you can go to a beach! This is why a natural Quartz is worthless, so if you picked one up; use it as a paperweight!