Full moon – Rose Quartz #14

Rose Quartz is, like the name implies, a rose-coloured variety of Quartz. The name has nothing to do with the flower, but specifically refers to the colour. It is also called Pink Quartz. Rose Quartz is often found in (volcanic0 cavities. The colour is caused by inclusions of a pink iron mineral called ‘Dididumortierite’. If the fibres of this mineral are oriented in angles of 60 degrees, due to the crystalline structure of Rose Quartz, a bright star can appear. This effect called asterism is best observed when the Rose Quartz is cut into a sphere. It rarely happens that crystals of Rose Quartz are found and because of the rarity these are only museum-level pieces. The colour in these is caused by metal ions dispersed throughout the quartz, which means it is in reality a different mineral than non-crystallised Rose Quartz.