Rock Crystal

Is a more colloquial name for pure or clear quartz which is the second most abundant mineral to be found in the Earth’s crust.

The term ‘rock crystal’ is derived from the ancient Greek work for ‘ice’ (‘krustallos’) since when they found it in caves near Mount Olympus, the Greeks thought they had found water that had been frozen by the gods.

Rock crystal has been used from the earliest times for stone tools and for decorating passage tombs. It is also for jewellery and fine art. An example is the Lothair Crystal, an engraved gem from Lotharingia in Germany which was carved around the middle of the 9th Century and which shows biblical scenes of Susanna and the Elders from the Book of Daniel. More modern uses include chandeliers and crystal balls of fortune-teller fame.

The finest rock crystal comes from the Hot Springs area of Arkansas with some of the largest individual quartz crystals being found in Brazil. Other sources of the purest quality quartz include Madagascar, Switzerland and Cumberland in the United Kingdom