Drusy quartz refers to a coating of fine, microscopic quartz crystals on a rock surface or inside a cavity. It is highly prized by collectors and jewelry designers for its sugary, sparkling texture and uniform glitter. It is most commonly found as a lining within geodes or lining the walls of mineral-rich volcanic voids.
Is this drusy 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 drusy quartz with a known reference. Drusy 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. Drusy Quartz leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Drusy Quartz typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white, gray, brown, blue, green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: druzy.
Often confused with
Drusy Quartz vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside drusy quartz
Minerals reported to co-occur with drusy 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
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Druzy
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Decorative, Jewelry
- Host rock
- Geodes, Vugs, And Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $5-50 for small specimens, $50-300 for decorative cabinet pieces
Where rockhounds find drusy quartz
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- USA
- India
- Morocco
- Namibia
Field-hunting tip
Look in geodes, vugs, and hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where drusy quartz typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, chalcedony, agate in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a druzy habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Oregon — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify drusy quartz?+
Where is drusy quartz found?+
Can I find drusy quartz in the United States?+
How much is drusy quartz worth?+
What rocks look like drusy quartz?+
What minerals are found with drusy quartz?+
What kind of rock does drusy quartz form in?+
What is drusy quartz used for?+
Find drusy quartz on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
