In crystal lore, rose quartz is the love stone. People keep it for unconditional love, for hope, and for being gentler with themselves and the people close to them.
See it as
quartz (silica) · quartz
Rose Quartz
Cuarzo rosa
- Palette
- Pink
- Mined in
- Brazil, Madagascar, India, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- its rose color; German quarz, of uncertain origin
- Also sold as
- pink quartz (strictly, the rarer transparent crystalline form), rosy quartz, hyaline quartz (older name for clearer material), Bohemian ruby (misleading trade name), American ruby (misleading trade name)
- Intention
- Love Calm
- Looking for
- Love Self-love Compassion and empathy Relationships
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Most rose quartz is natural pink, but some strands are dyed a soft pink, so color alone does not tell you.
In our pieces · 1See the piece ↓
400-700 °C
Rose quartz crystallized at 400 to 700 degrees Celsius in the quartz cores of pegmatites.
STAR ROSE QUARTZ
Rose quartz can show a star effect (asterism) when cut into spheres or cabochons.
12% OF THE CRUST
Quartz makes up about 12 percent of Earth's lithosphere by mass.
What it is
A soft, milky pink that ranges from barely-there blush to a deeper rosy tone, almost always hazy or cloudy rather than glassy. As a bead it looks gently frosted from the inside, with color that reads richest in larger stones and lighter in small ones.
What gives it its color
Most rose quartz is pink because it holds microscopic fibers of a mineral related to dumortierite; rarer clear pink crystals get their color from natural radiation, and that color can fade with heat or light.
Where it comes from
Much of today's rose quartz comes from Brazil, South Africa, India and Madagascar, with more from Namibia, Mozambique and Sri Lanka; a deposit near Custer, South Dakota, was once a big source.
In history
Rose quartz beads dated to about 7000 BC have been found in Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq. Assyrian craftspeople made rose quartz jewelry around 800-600 BC, and Roman owners used it as a seal to mark ownership.
What's said about it
It's said to encourage empathy and reconciliation, and it's the stone people traditionally set by the bed or around the house for a loving family atmosphere. It's often given as a gift for that reason.
Beads of it have been found in ancient Mesopotamia, and Assyrian craftspeople worked it into jewelry. Romans cut it into seals.
People wear it as any kind of jewelry, carry it in a pocket near the heart, hold it in both hands, or choose it in a heart-shaped carving.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket near the heart, by the bed or around the home, or as a heart-shaped carving.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, rose quartz is paired with the heart 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 the wrist, in a pocket near the heart, by the bed or around the home. People reach for it when they want love, self-love, compassion and empathy, 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.
ChakraHeart
ZodiacLibra, Taurus
ElementWater
Also calledpink quartz (strictly, the rarer transparent crystalline form), rosy quartz, hyaline quartz (older name for clearer material)
Care
- Wash in warm water with a little mild soap and a soft brush, then pat dry; this is the one method gem labs call always safe.
- Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners: the stone is full of fine inclusions that can react badly to them.
- Store it apart from harder gems such as topaz, sapphire and diamond, which can scratch quartz over time.
- Keep it out of prolonged direct sun. Ordinary massive rose quartz is considered fairly color-stable, but gem-care charts list it as a stone that may fade, and the rare transparent 'pink quartz' loses color quickly in UV light.
- At Mohs 7 with no cleavage it handles daily wear well; take it off for heavy knocks all the same, since a sharp blow can still chip the edge of a bead.
How to tell what you have
- Natural rose quartz is a soft, milky pink with a cloudy look; the color is usually even but pale.
- Very strong or candy pink, or color pooled in the drill hole and cracks, points to dye.
- Clear, glassy pink beads can be glass or a rarer transparent pink quartz that fades in strong light.
What sets the price
Natural pink beads cost more than dyed ones of the same quality, and clearer, more evenly pink beads cost more than very pale, milky ones; bead size and polish matter too.
Rules and sourcing
Some rose quartz strands are dyed a soft pink, so color alone does not show it is natural. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose dye.
Related stones
Questions people ask at our table
Why is rose quartz pink?
Ordinary rose quartz owes its color to countless microscopic fibers of a pink mineral related to dumortierite trapped inside the quartz. Those same fibers scatter light, which is why the stone looks milky rather than clear. A much rarer transparent form called pink quartz gets its color a different way, from aluminium and phosphorus color centers activated by natural radiation underground.
Will my rose quartz fade in the sun?
Everyday massive rose quartz, the kind cut into beads, is generally regarded as color-stable in light and heat, though some gem-care charts flag it as a stone that may fade over long exposure. The rare transparent pink quartz is a different matter and loses its color quickly under UV. Think of sun as a precaution: wear it outdoors freely, but do not leave it on a sunny windowsill for weeks.
What is the difference between rose quartz and cherry quartz?
Cherry quartz is not quartz at all. It is a manufactured glass with swirls of red and pink added to imitate a stone, and it is usually brighter, clearer and more evenly colored than natural rose quartz. Under a loupe, glass often shows round bubbles, which natural quartz never has. Strawberry quartz is a separate case: a real quartz with reddish inclusions exists, but the same name is also misused for glass.
Where does rose quartz come from?
Most of the world's supply comes from pegmatite deposits in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and from Madagascar, which is also the classic source for star rose quartz. India, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar also produce it. In the United States the Black Hills near Custer, South Dakota, were once a major source, and rose quartz has been the state mineral there since 1966.
How should I clean and store rose quartz jewelry?
Warm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft brush are all it needs; avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaners. Keep it in a pouch or a separate compartment so harder stones like topaz and sapphire cannot scratch it, and out of prolonged direct sun as a precaution. Rose quartz is sometimes irradiated to deepen its color, but the stone you buy from us is sold as natural quartz and needs no special handling beyond this.
Our rose quartz pieces
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