This is the most valuable of quartz gems.  It contains a patchy distribution of iron sufficient to color it anywhere from delicate orchid to a regal purple not seen elsewhere in the realm of gems.

A spangled variety of quartz, although generally uniform in color, the stone can be found in different shades of green, brown or red due to the presence of flecks of mica and hematite.

Agate is a member of the quartz family, but due to it's close-grained texture, it is grouped under the term, chalcedony.  It is a particularly pleasant shade of pale blue and delicate white banding can be found throughout the stone.

Quartz Crystal ( SiO 2 , Silicon Dioxide)lacks the fire, color, and the rarity to be ranked as a fine precious gemstone. None-the-less, quartz crystal is in wide use as a gemstone due to its beauty, affordability, availability and ease of cutting.

A red to red-orange chalcedony quartz, carnelian has long been a favorite gem for beads and small carvings.  A brownish variety of this mineral is referred to as sardonyx.

The most important iron material, hematite is much used for carving intaglios and faceted stones.  It is known for it's heavy weight and brilliant shine.  Hematite should never be immersed in liquid or allowed to stand in water, as it will form a rusty residue.

Jade is an actinolite member of the important amphibole family of minerals. It gets its green color from the considerable amount of ferrous oxide which is present in the mineral. Nephrite Jade is softer than quartz, but when it is polished, it always assumes a pleasant, grease-like luster.

Lapis is a gem rock composed of several blue minerals of the feldspathoid group, together with pyrite, calcite, and often other materials, mostly silicates.  Lapis was prized by Ancient Egyptians as a coveted gemstone. 

Rose quartz is a translucent stone of pink and rose-red hue, which is caused by the presence of manganese.  Gem quality deposits are found in South Dakota and South-West Africa.

Tigereye is derived from a mineral called crocidolite, which has been oxidized to golden brown from it's original blue color and has been completely replaced by quartz; this inimitable gem shows rippling light which shifts across the surface when moved.

White quartz is a spectacularly bright white stone and achieves this white color as a result of the lack of various other mineral deposits within the stone.  Although quartz is the commonest of minerals, it includes a greater variety of gems than any other.