Green quartz, often known by the trade name prasiolite, is a rare color variety of quartz that typically appears in leek-green hues. While natural occurrences exist in specific hydrothermal environments, much of the market material is created by heat-treating amethyst. Collectors should look for vibrant, clear crystals, as the color can range from a pale mint to a deep, olive-toned green.
Is this green 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 green quartz with a known reference. Green 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. Green Quartz leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Green Quartz typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, leek-green, yellow-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals.
Often confused with
Green Quartz vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside green quartz
Minerals reported to co-occur with green 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
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins and Volcanic Cavities
- Typical price
- $10-100 per carat for faceted stones
Where rockhounds find green quartz
5 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- Poland
- Canada
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins and volcanic cavities country — that is the host setting where green quartz typically forms. If you start seeing amethyst, citrine, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Alabama, Massachusetts, North Carolina — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find green quartz on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
