Rose Quartz

Each colour has its unique appeal, especially when it comes to gem-studded jewellery. Sometimes, red seems to be too deep and white seems to be pale in sight. Standing between them, pink seems to be just right. With hues ranging from bold to subtle, pink can be demure, pretty, and playful, all the same time. That is probably the reason why the delicate and pink-hued rose quartz never fails to draw attention. No wonder, it is one of the most popular semi-precious gemstones among the community of jewellery lovers. Rose quartz earrings, rings, and pendants are increasing in popularity these days. Here is a complete guide about this charming gemstone.

Overview

Rose quartz is a sought-after member of the quartz family. This variety of quartz is translucent in nature. It can be cloudy, grainy, or hazy in appearance. Starting from peach, the range of this gemstone’s colours can move to vivid pink and almost purple. The stone owes its colour to the presence of tiny amounts of manganese, iron, and titanium in the mineral composition. With a score of 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, it is a fairly hard stone. Due to its alluring colours and hardness, it is used both as a gemstone and as an ornamental stone. Rose quartz is regarded as a soothing gemstone that promotes love, warmth, and emotional healing. That is why it is also known as the Heart Stone or the Love Stone.

History of Rose Quartz

Rose quartz gets its name from its lovely pink shades and from the Greek word hyalos, meaning glass. The gemstone has a long history of being used for crafting jewellery and other art objects. Perhaps it was the Assyrians and the Romans who were the first to use the rose quartz rock around 800-600 BC. Did you know that the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians believed that this stone had magical powers? For this reason, the stone was used by them as protective talismans. The Egyptians made use of this stone as an anti-aging remedy. It was used by the Romans as a seal to indicate ownership. In the Middle Ages, the stone found use in the healing potions of medical practitioners. There are several legends related to the stone’s ability to attract love and heal anger.

Types of Rose Quartz

A prominent feature of rose quartz is that the stone does not develop crystal faces or crystals. But since it is composed of several inter-grown crystal sub-individuals, it is of a non-cryptocrystalline variety.

Interestingly, a rare variety of pink quartz or crystalline rose quartz exists in nature. It is quite different from the abundant rose quartz variety. This variety is known to form crystals. The crystals are sensitive to light and subject to fading. The pink quartz crystals were first found near Rumford, USA and in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Star rose quartz is another variety of this stone. When polished into cabochons or spheres, it shows a star or cat’s eye effect.

Birthstones and Anniversary Stones

Rose quartz is the birthstone for January. The gemstone is connected to a couple’s second and fifth wedding anniversaries. The gift of this gemstone is believed to strengthen love, increase fertility, and reduce anger in a couple’s life. If you are looking for a gift for someone born in January or for a couple’s anniversary, rhodolite bangles, bracelets, rings or earrings are ideal.

Real Rose Quartz vs Fake Rose Quartz

When it comes to jewellery or emotional healing, rose quartz is a much-preferred gemstone. However, inferior and fake stones are often sold in place of the genuine gemstone. If you want to prevent getting conned while buying this gemstone, you must learn how to identify a real rose quartz from a fake one. Real rose quartz often lacks good transparency. Due to their hardness, they can easily scratch a steel file. When you are testing crystalline rose quartz, remember that the colour will fade if exposed to light. Also, since this variety is found very rarely found, do not expect to see it at most jewellery stores. Often, coloured glass is also sold in the place of quartz. If you suspect this, check out for bubbles in the stone. The presence of bubbles in the stone proves that it is not real quartz crystal.

How to Buy Rose Quartz Jewellery?

The soft translucence and the pink hues of this gemstone hold great appeal for gem and jewellery enthusiasts. When made in white gold or rose gold, its pink hue becomes all the more appealing. You can wear this semi-precious stone in the form of a bracelet, pendant, rings, etc. When buying rose quartz jewellery, you should consider the following factors:

Colour: One of the most attractive features of the rose quartz is its delicate pink colour. You can buy this gemstone in various shades of pink, starting from very pale hues to medium-deep shades. This stone is generally evenly coloured. The price of the gemstone usually depends on how appealing the colour is.

Clarity: More often than not, this gemstone possesses a cloudy look. Since this gemstone is usually not transparent, its clarity is not great. But lesser the inclusions and better the clarity, finer is the quality of the stone.

Cut: This is one gemstone that is often marketed as tumbled stones due to its cloudy look. Some rose quartz pieces display asterism (star-like effect) when it is cut as a cabochon. A rock quartz piece displaying asterism will cost you more than the regular pieces of the gemstone. The gemstone rock is often cut as cabochon to make pendants, earrings, rings, and other trinkets. They are also fashioned into beads. Since the colour rose is often associated with romantic love, you can also find jewellery featuring rose quartz cut in the heart shape.

Carat: In case of rose quartz, size is a better measure of the stone’s value rather than its weight. This is because density may differ from one stone to another. When buying polished rose quartz jewellery, take into consideration the colour, clarity, and the style aspect to determine if the trinket seems worth the price. If you are looking to buy rose quartz as decorative pieces, the price will vary with the size. The larger pieces of this gemstone display intense colour and cost more than the smaller pieces.

How to Look After Your Rose Quartz Jewellery?

If you are to maintain the beauty of your rose quartz jewellery, you have to look after them regularly. Here are a few tips to help you look after your jewellery:

• Even though rose quartz is pretty tough, it can get scratched by harder stones like diamonds and topaz. It is best to store your rose quartz jewellery in a separate fabric-lined box where the risk of such damage is reduced.
• You can use warm, soapy water to clean your rose quartz. It is not a good idea to use ultrasonic and steam cleaners for cleaning this gemstone.
• If you have rose quartz necklaces, bangles, earrings or rings crafted from gold or sterling silver, you can dip them in a cleaning solution to remove tarnish without impacting the stone. Use a soft cloth to wipe off your jewellery.

Rose quartz is a lovely gemstone that can add a dash of colour to your persona and attire. By following our guidelines, you can make an informed decision when buying rose quartz jewellery and maintain them as well.