Blue quartz is a variety of quartz that owes its color to minute inclusions of fibrous minerals like dumortierite, crocidolite, or rutile needles. It typically occurs in massive form rather than as distinct crystals and is popular in lapidary work for cabochons and carvings.
Is this blue quartz?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch blue quartz with a known reference. Blue Quartz sits at Mohs 7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue, grayish-blue, lavender-blue.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Blue Quartz vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside blue quartz
Minerals reported to co-occur with blue quartz. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Density
- 2.65 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Lapidary, Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- igneous rocks, pegmatites, hydrothermal veins
Where rockhounds find blue quartz
14 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- India
- Norway
- USA
- Madagascar
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: igneous rocks, pegmatites, hydrothermal veins. If you start seeing quartz, feldspar, mica in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Virginia, Texas, Arizona. Start trip planning there.
More blue quartz photos
Common questions
How do you identify blue quartz?+
Where is blue quartz found?+
Can I find blue quartz in the United States?+
What rocks look like blue quartz?+
What minerals are found with blue quartz?+
What kind of rock does blue quartz form in?+
What is blue quartz used for?+
Find blue quartz on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
