Clear quartz, or rock crystal, is the purest variety of crystalline quartz characterized by its excellent transparency and classic prismatic habit. It is found globally in a wide variety of geological settings, often forming stunning, water-clear clusters or large single terminated points.
Is this clear 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 clear quartz with a known reference. Clear 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. Clear Quartz leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Clear Quartz typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations.
Often confused with
Clear Quartz vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Clear Quartz is noticeably harder (Mohs 7 vs. 3).
How to tell apart: Clear Quartz is noticeably harder (Mohs 7 vs. 4.5-5); luster reads vitreous on Clear Quartz and vitreous to pearly on Apophyllite.
How to tell apart: Topaz is the harder of the two (Mohs 8 vs. 7).
Often found alongside clear quartz
Minerals reported to co-occur with clear 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
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Pyramidal Terminations
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Industrial, Decorative
- Host rock
- Granite Pegmatites, Hydrothermal Veins, Sedimentary Rocks
- Typical price
- $5-50 thumbnail, $50-500 cabinet
Where rockhounds find clear quartz
4 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Arkansas, USA
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Alps, Switzerland
- Madagascar
- Himalayas, India
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, sedimentary rocks country, the host setting where clear quartz typically forms. If you start seeing feldspar, mica, chlorite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Connecticut, Colorado, Georgia. Start trip planning there.
More clear quartz photos
Common questions
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Find clear quartz on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
