Elestial quartz is ordinary quartz that grew in a layered, skeletal form. It is a growth habit, not a different mineral, and most pieces are smoky.
Silicate (quartz) · Quartz (a growth habit of smoky quartz or rock crystal)
Elestial Quartz
Cuarzo elestial
- Palette
- Brown Gray Clear
- Mined in
- Brazil
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- a respelling of 'celestial', meaning heavenly
- Also sold as
- skeletal quartz, jacare quartz, elestial smoky quartz
- Intention
- New Beginnings Protection
- Looking for
- Letting go Grounding Change and decisions
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Elestial quartz is a growth form of smoky or clear quartz; no bead-trade disclosure was found for it, and smoky quartz is often irradiated to create its color.
Not in our pieces now
88,000 POUNDS
The largest documented quartz crystal, found near Itapore in Goiaz, Brazil, measured about 20 by 5 by 5 feet and weighed over 88,000 pounds.
573 °C
Quartz changes its crystal structure from low quartz to high quartz at 573 °C at normal pressure.
3100 BC
Newgrange in Ireland, fronted with white quartz cobblestones, was built about 3100 BC, older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
What it is
Elestial quartz is ordinary quartz, usually smoky, that grew in a skeletal way, with layered, ribbed faces and many small terminations. It is a growth form, not a different mineral. Pieces are mostly sold as rough clusters.
What gives it its color
Elestial quartz is a growth form, so its color is that of the quartz it is made of: colorless when pure, or smoky brown from natural radiation acting on a trace of aluminum.
Where it comes from
Most elestial quartz comes from Minas Gerais in Brazil, including pegmatites there and the Diamantina and Itinga areas.
In history
Elestial quartz is ordinary quartz in a skeletal growth form, and quartz itself has a long human history: prehistoric Irish toolmakers knapped it and left it in passage tombs such as Newgrange, and Milan, Prague and Florence were the Renaissance centers for cutting it into vessels. Ancient Greeks called clear quartz krustallos, 'ice'.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, it is the quartz people reach for when they want to let go of something old. Smoky pieces are also kept for grounding.
Its name and meanings are modern, from crystal books of the 1980s. Rock crystal itself was prized by Roman writers, who thought it was ice frozen hard.
People keep a cluster on a shelf or desk, handled gently.
How people wear or keep it: On a shelf, on a desk, or in a meditation corner.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, elestial quartz is paired with the crown chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on a shelf, on a desk, in a meditation corner. People reach for it when they want letting go, grounding, change and decisions, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraCrown
Also calledskeletal quartz, jacare quartz, elestial smoky quartz
Care
- Quartz is hard, but the layered terminations are thin and snap off, so store clusters padded and apart from other stones.
- Water will not harm it; rinse with plain water and dry. Avoid hot-to-cold changes.
- Dust in the cavities with a soft brush rather than scrubbing.
- Smoky color is stable in normal wear, though strong sun over many years can lighten it.
How to tell what you have
- Elestial quartz is a quartz crystal with many small terminated faces; a bead or piece sold under this name may be smoky or clear quartz, so color can vary by lot.
- Quartz is hard (Mohs 7), so it should not scratch easily; glass can, so check for bubbles.
Rules and sourcing
Elestial quartz is a growth form of smoky or clear quartz, and smoky quartz is often irradiated to create its color. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose irradiation or heat.
Questions people ask at our table
Is elestial quartz a different mineral?
No. It is quartz that grew in a skeletal, layered way when conditions were unstable. Geologists call the habit skeletal quartz.
Why is it usually smoky?
Smoky and clear quartz are the most common hosts for the habit. Amethyst and citrine versions are rare.
Is the smoky color natural?
It can be. Smoky color comes from natural radiation acting on aluminum in the quartz, and it can also be made in a lab, so ask the seller.
Do you carry elestial quartz?
No, we do not carry it. Clear quartz is in our pieces and is the same mineral.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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