Natural strawberry quartz is clear quartz with red iron-oxide flecks, and it is uncommon. Most beads sold under this name are pink glass. We do not carry it. Rose quartz and pink aventurine are the pinks we do.
Silicate (quartz) · quartz
Strawberry Quartz
Cuarzo fresa
- Palette
- Pink Red
- Mined in
- Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Madagascar, United States, Canada, United Kingdom
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- its pink-red color, like a strawberry
- Also sold as
- scarlet quartz (old name for hematite-included quartz), hematite quartz
- Intention
- Love
- Looking for
- Love Joy
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Beads sold as strawberry quartz are often glass, so it varies by lot. Natural ones are clear quartz with red specks.
Not in our pieces now
50 KM
Newgrange in Ireland, built around 3100 BC, has a facade of white quartz cobbles carried from the Wicklow Mountains, about 50 kilometers away.
573 °C
At 573 °C quartz flips from one crystal form to another, and the change in volume can microfracture rocks and ceramics.
What it is
Natural strawberry quartz is clear quartz with flecks of red iron oxide, usually hematite, that make it look pink, orange or red. It is uncommon. Most of the beads sold under this name today are pink or red glass, often with a few tiny bubbles inside, so the name alone does not tell you what you are holding.
What gives it its color
Natural strawberry quartz is clear quartz with visible red or pink flakes inside, usually hematite or mica, and the common look-alike beads are glass with red particles melted in.
Where it comes from
Natural strawberry quartz has been documented near Chihuahua in Mexico and in the Thunder Bay District of Ontario, Canada.
In history
Strawberry quartz is a pink-red quartz, and quartz is among the oldest gem and tool materials: Neolithic builders placed it in the passage tombs of Newgrange in Ireland. The Roman Empress Livia dedicated a rock-crystal mass of about 150 pounds on the Capitol, and Pliny the Elder thought quartz was ice frozen permanently solid.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, strawberry quartz takes on the meanings of rose quartz, the stone people keep for love, joy and comfort. That lore belongs to rose quartz, not to the glass.
People wear it as a bracelet or pendant, carry it in a pocket, or set a piece around the home.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, as a pendant, or around the home.
In crystal practice
Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, as a pendant. People reach for it when they want love, joy, 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
Also calledscarlet quartz (old name for hematite-included quartz), hematite quartz
Care
- Natural quartz is hard (Mohs 7) and takes everyday wear; it can still scratch softer stones, so store it apart.
- Clean with mild soapy water and a soft cloth.
- Glass beads sold under this name are softer and chip or scratch more easily, so handle any strand of unknown material gently.
- Keep it away from harder stones such as ruby and sapphire, which can scratch it.
- Avoid sudden temperature changes and hard knocks, which can crack either quartz or glass.
How to tell what you have
- Strawberry quartz is a trade name that may mean clear quartz with red mineral specks, a quartzite, or glass, and it varies by lot.
- Look for tiny round bubbles, warm feel, and uniform pink; natural pieces show uneven flecks and are cold to the touch.
Rules and sourcing
Beads sold as strawberry quartz are often glass; real ones are clear quartz with red specks. Under the FTC jewelry guides a seller should say when a bead is glass.
Questions people ask at our table
What is strawberry quartz?
Natural strawberry quartz is clear quartz with tiny red flecks of iron oxide, mostly hematite and sometimes goethite or lepidocrocite. It is a marketing name, not a separate mineral, and the real thing is uncommon.
Is strawberry quartz real, or glass?
Most of the beads sold under this name are pink or red glass, often made by melting glass with hematite or another red material. Tiny round bubbles inside, a very bright color, light weight and a quick warm-up in the hand point to glass.
How can I tell natural from glass?
Natural flecks are irregular and scattered in clear quartz, while glass may show round bubbles and an even color. For certainty on a valuable piece, ask a gem lab.
Where is natural strawberry quartz found?
Russia and Kazakhstan supply good material today, with other finds in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Madagascar and the United States.
Do you carry strawberry quartz?
No. Our nearest pinks are rose quartz and pink aventurine, and our cherry quartz is glass.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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