mineral

Milky Quartz (Carved Star Beads)

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale. Color: Translucent white to milky white. Luster: Vitreous to waxy. Crystal structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal (though carved here). Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture). Specific gravity: 2.65.

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Color: Translucent white to milky white
Luster: Vitreous to waxy

Identified July 28, 2026More mineral →

Explore Milky Quartz (Carved Star Beads) in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Forms in hydrothermal veins, pegmatites, and metamorphic rock environments across many geological periods. The milky appearance is caused by tiny fluid inclusions trapped during crystal growth.

Uses & applications

Carved and drilled into star-shaped beads used for jewelry making, crafts, and decorative items. Quartz is also widely used in optics, electronics, and abrasives.

Geological facts

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Fluid inclusions in milky quartz contain microscopic bubbles of liquid and gas that were present when the crystal formed millions of years ago.

Field identification & locations

Identified by its hardness (scratches glass, cannot be scratched by steel), milky translucent appearance, and lack of cleavage. Commonly found worldwide in Brazil, Madagascar, the USA, and India.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Soil with Mineral Detritus and Quartz Fragments

Regolith / Silicate Mineral Aggregate

sedimentary

Limonite / Goethite (Iron Ore Mineral nodule)

FeO(OH)·nH2O / FeO(OH)

mineral

Schist

Metamorphic

Septarian Pebble

Septarian nodule / Concretion

sedimentary

Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)

Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)

mineral