mineral

Tumbled milky quartz

Quartz, silicon dioxide (SiO₂)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness 7 Mohs; creamy white, translucent to opaque, with a vitreous-to-waxy luster and irregular golden-brown iron-oxide staining or inclusions. Quartz is trigonal and lacks cleavage, showing conchoidal fracture; specific gravity about 2.65.

Identified August 11, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Forms when silica-rich fluids crystallize in igneous, metamorphic, or hydrothermal environments; the specimen has been rounded and polished by tumbling. Quartz occurs from Precambrian to modern geological settings.

Uses & applications

Used as a decorative, lapidary, and jewelry material; quartz is also important industrially in glass, ceramics, electronics, and abrasives. This small common tumbled piece has modest collector value.

Geological facts

Milky quartz becomes cloudy from microscopic fluid inclusions, fractures, or defects. The yellow-orange markings are likely limonite or hematite rather than natural golden quartz coloration.

Field identification & locations

Identify it by its glassy/waxy appearance, lack of cleavage, hardness sufficient to scratch ordinary glass, and conchoidal fracture; it should not be scratched by a steel knife. Common worldwide, especially in Brazil, Madagascar, the United States, and alpine veins.