mineral

Tumbled milky quartz

Quartz, silicon dioxide (SiO₂)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness 7 Mohs; white to translucent with a vitreous-to-waxy luster, cryptocrystalline to coarse crystalline texture, and no cleavage. The yellow-brown areas are likely iron-oxide staining or minor included minerals.

Identified September 13, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Forms in silica-rich veins, cavities, and igneous or metamorphic rocks when silica-bearing fluids crystallize; quartz is common from Precambrian to modern geological settings. Its rounded shape indicates human tumbling and polishing.

Uses & applications

Used for lapidary ornaments, beads, carvings, décor, and inexpensive gemstone material; quartz is also important industrially in glass, ceramics, electronics, and engineered stone.

Geological facts

Milky quartz appears opaque because microscopic fluid inclusions, fractures, or defects scatter light. It can resemble white chalcedony, calcite, or marble, but quartz is substantially harder than calcite.

Field identification & locations

Identify it by hardness: it scratches glass and is not scratched by a steel knife; it lacks calcite’s acid reaction and rhombohedral cleavage. Common worldwide, especially in hydrothermal veins and granitic terrains.