• Pile of beta quartz crystals
  • Example set of ten beta quartz on the shelf of a mineral cabinet
  • Close-up of beta quartz broken in two with a dark almost metallic looking core
  • Option A, includes orange crystal with indented spots, one with raised extra faces
  • Option B, includes a black crystal and an orange one. Largest crystal has large circular hole
  • Option C, includes a black crystal and a few orange-tinted. Largest crystal is missing one point.
  • Option D, includes red-toned crystal with ring formations, one with raised extra faces, and one fairly translucent one
  • Option E, largest crystal is split in half, includes large black crystal
  • Option F, largest crystal has large hole missing and ring formations. Includes large red crystal
  • Option G, largest crystal has tips cracked off. Lighter color mix of tans and light orange with one redder crystal
  • Option H, includes red crystal with split growth, well-formed largest crystal, one with a nice ring formation
  • Option I, includes large red-toned crystal, one super spotted with holes, and two white with darker junctions
  • Option J, includes one large half-black and brown crystal, and several with larger circular holes like swiss cheese
  • Option K, largest crystal is red, flat on one side. Several of the smaller crystals have round holes
  • Option L, Includes several crystals spotted with round holes, and deeper orange and brown crystals
  • Option M, Largest crystal is irregular with rough surface. Two fairly light off-white crystals, super clean red-brown crystal
  • Option N, includes larges near-black crystal, largest crystal pocked, medium orange crystal has interesting impression patterns
  • Option O, largest crystal has capped growth, includes black and orange crystal and one with white coating and darker edges
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Beta quartz, 10ct sets

Beta quartz, 10ct sets

$10.00 USD
$10.00 USD
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Locale: Indonesia

Set count: ten miscellaneous crystals

Set total weight: 16–18g

Largest crystal in each set measures A 2.0cm; B 1.9cm; C 1.6cm; D 1.9cm; E 1.8cm; F 1.8cm; G 1.8cm; H 1.8cm; I 2.2cm; J 1.9cm; K 2.1cm; L 1.8cm; M 1.9cm; N 1.8cm; O 2.2cm. The “surprise me!” option will be comparable to these sets.

 

Beta quartz (β-quartz), also sometimes called “high quartz,” is a paramorph: a pseudomorph of the same chemical composition but different crystal structure. Standard quartz (α-quartz) is transformed into β-quartz under high temperatures, which is why the crystals are most commonly found in volcanic rock environments. The β-quartz is stable above 573°C/1063°F and then reverts to α-quartz when it cools. The final product is considered a quartz paramorph after beta quartz. 

These six-sided bipyramidal crystals from Indonesia display the typical beta quartz crystal habit. The surface texture is rough on a lot of these and all sets include crystals that are not whole (it’s simply too common not to!). Many crystals have interesting indented rings on their surface, which may be from crystals that dissolved away; others have indented spots or irregular patterns caused by etching. Some beta quartz crystals have neat split growth, capped points, or additional faces (learn more about quartz growth forms).

These beta quartz crystals are in their natural state. Some collectors and dealers will clean them with acids to remove the brown coloration. Cleaned Beta quartz will be close to white but the material typically doesn’t gain much translucency or glitter and can look like a sugar cube. Personally I prefer the warm tones of the natural coloration. That part of why these are offered in sets and not individually, because it shows the range of palette, sizes, and surface variations. The base color is a warm tan, but colors can range from deep reds, browns, and black to light yellow-browns. Some crystals have a white coating on the faces with bare darker junctions creating an interesting visual effect like a model crystal.

This material is mostly near-opaque but can be translucent at time times. Curiously, of the two crystals I have accidentally broken, one was the same color throughout but the other (pictured) had a dark core with almost metallic luster.

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