Quartz is the most common mineral on the Earth’s crust and is a component of almost every rock type. Hence, quartz has more colors and forms than any other stone because of this very abundance. The powerful atomic structure of this pyramid-shaped crystal gives it magical powers that are as apparent in today’s computers as they are in new age belief and folklore.

The Mayans, Druid priests, and Tibetan monks all knew the spiritual power of crystal. The ancients used it to strengthen the sun’s rays to bring heat, and the Chinese science of Feng-shui teaches that arranging crystals around the home retains positive energy. Crystals became important to these people because of the belief in their capacity to store and amplify any power source fed into them - physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Today’s crystal therapists say that the stones' ability to work as a conductor allows energy to be focused via a person's thoughts to stimulate healing. And many people use crystal to focus attention on what they want.

All types of crystal have this magical power, but individual color crystal is believed to have other uses too. Rose quartz, the stone of unconditional love, is great for emotional healing. Red, yellow, and orange stones are said to produce energy; clear and aquamarine stones are healers; and lavender and blue-violet are calming stones.

Pure rock crystal is clear, but usually quartz comes in a variety of opacity. Milky quartz is cloudy because of microscopic inclusions of fluid embodied in the crystal at the start of its life, creating an attractive effect of a crystal within a crystal. Smoky Quartz is caused by natural radiation from nearby granite rocks which have a small amount of radioactivity.