mineral

Strawberry Quartz (or Rose Quartz / Cherry Quartz)

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with Lepidocrocite, Hematite, or Goethite inclusions

Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale. Color: Translucent pink to reddish-pink with grainy or sparkly inclusions. Luster: Vitreous (glassy). Crystal Structure: Trigonal. Cleavage: None. Specific Gravity: 2.65.

Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale
Luster: Vitreous (glassy)

Identified July 28, 2026More mineral →

Explore Strawberry Quartz (or Rose Quartz / Cherry Quartz) 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

Formed in pegmatites and hydrothermal veins where silica-rich fluids crystallized under cooling conditions, trapping fine iron oxide mineral inclusions that give it a characteristic strawberry hue.

Uses & applications

Primarily used in jewelry making for beads, bracelets, carved pendants, and cabochons, as well as in lapidary art and gemstone collections.

Geological facts

Natural strawberry quartz gets its distinctive pink-red hue and sparkling sheen from fine hematite or lepidocrocite needle-like inclusions. Synthetic glass imitations, often called 'cherry quartz', are also widely manufactured in bead form.

Field identification & locations

Look for a translucent quartz body filled with fine red or pink speckles and inclusions. Natural specimens are predominantly found in Kazakhstan, Brazil, and South Africa.

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