New Acquisitions - Quartz
- Photography by Ken Larsen. Gift of Luciana Barbosa, Gemological Center, 2009.
It is common to find inclusions in quartz crystals. Quartz is usually one of the last minerals to form in a deposit, so it sometimes grows around existing crystals. Because quartz is commonly clear, the inclusions are easy to see. This emerald–cut quartz from Brazil has a blue anatase crystal inclusion as well as needle-like inclusions of rutile. In this specimen, we can see the anatase inclusion seemingly floating in this clear quartz gem. Anatase is a form of titanium dioxide and is usually found as small, isolated, well-developed crystals. This is the first quartz gemstone with an anatase inclusion in the National Gem Collection.
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