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Quartz: Crystals
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Quartz is a power stone. It has been called the "Universal Crystal", and is the most recognized type of crystal. It's what many people envision when they think of crystals, even though there are many types of crystals. Quartz can be icy clear or have inclusions, veils, bubbles, etc. Visual clarity normally isn't important to a quartz crystal's energetic quality and ability to amplify subtle energies.
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Quartz slabs are finished using polishing wheels of varying sizes to bring a high-gloss sheen to the surface or, in Silestone's case the option to purchase a soft, leathered patina. Since they are solid, the color and natural mottling from the quartz crystals runs throughout the material. Slabs are fabricated into countertops with edge profiles that range from simple bevels to bullnose and ogee.
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Quartz occurs in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites. Well-formed crystals may reach several meters in length and weigh hundreds of kilograms. These veins may bear precious metals such as gold or silver, and form the quartz ores sought in mining. Erosion of pegmatites may reveal expansive pockets of crystals, known as "cathedrals."
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Quartz crystals exhibit a property called the piezoelectric effect, that is, they produce an electric voltage when subjected to pressure along certain directions of the crystal. Because of this property, quartz crystal has important applications in the electronics industry for controlling the frequency of radio waves. It ... has the optical property of rotating the plane of polarized light and is used in polarizing microscopes.
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Quartz that is formed not of one single crystal but a number of finely grained microcrystals is known as chalcedony. The variety of chalcedonies is even greater than that of transparent quartz, including cryptocrystalline quartz with patterns as well as a wide range of solid colours. Agates are banded. Bloodstone has red spots on a green background. Moss agate has a plant-like pattern. Jasper sometimes looks like a landscape painting.
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Quartz is found in many countries and many geologic environments. Major producers of natural quartz crystals are the United States (particularly Arkansas) and Brazil. Natural quartz is rarely used as found in nature (especially in electrical applications), except as a gemstone. Natural quartz crystals have too many chemical impurities and physical flaws. As a result, a commercial process of manufacturing pure, flawless, electronics-grade quartz was developed.
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