Quartz, the World's Most Common Mineral (Part Four--Quartz With Inclusions)

     
     Quartz, the World's Most Common Mineral (Part Four--Quartz With Inclusions) is the final installment of the series of blogs that I've written about the subject of quartz. I hope that by the time that you have come to this final piece I hope that you have gained a great deal of knowledge about the world's most common mineral!
     I have already covered inclusions, but for those who have not read the blog in which this information can be found I will touch onto the subject again. When a mineral is said to have an inclusion that means that something else is trapped inside of it. This could be a bubble of gas or liquid, or it could be an entirely different mineral. Inclusions are fairly common in quartz and while bubbles and vesicles are common we will focus mainly on other minerals being trapped inside of quartz.
    The first inclusion that I will mention is that of black tourmaline. Black tourmaline crystals are often prismatic or acicular (needle-like) in shape. When quartz contains inclusions it is often given different names. Quartz containing tourmaline is called tourmalinated quartz. Possibly the most famous quartz inclusion, crystals of rutile are common in quartz as well. Rutile crystals are almost always acicular and are usually red, black, or metallic yellow in color. Quartz with rutile inclusions is called rutilated quartz or sagenite. Quartz can contain gold (gold-bearing quartz is known as “gold quartz”) and silver. Silver inclusions are often dendrites and are usually silver of black in color. Quartz has also been known to the iron-bearing minerals pyrite and goethite. I have found one piece that I believe might contain hematite, but I am not sure if it is truly hematite or another iron mineral. I have also found quartz that contains what I think is biotite mica, but again I am not completely sure.
    Quartz with inclusions serves only two uses that I know of: carving stones and a collector’s pieces. Quartz with inclusions can make very interesting carvings because of the appearance that the crystals found inside of it may bestow. Many rock and mineral collectors love quartz with inclusions because it is breathtaking to look at perfect crystals that are completely enclosed within another crystal.
Again quartz can be found anywhere so quartz with inclusions can be found anywhere hypothetically. I have found samples of quartz with inclusions in South Dakota, New Hampshire, and Michigan. Other sources include: Madagascar, Brazil, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Switzerland.
   Like all minerals, I think that quartz with inclusions display the artwork of God. After all, there is no rear reason why one mineral should form within another; it is simply another wonder of creation. Perhaps the real purpose of minerals like quartz with inclusions is to draw our minds into a state of thankfulness toward our Creator, who could have made the earth a drab and dull place, but chose to fill it with wonder instead. Let us thank Him for this gift today!