Strawberry Quartz (Glass)
man-made glass with metallic flake inclusions
Two different things share this name, and the blue and gold versions settle it instantly. Most strawberry quartz is manufactured glitter glass, clear glass seeded with identical reflective flakes, and no natural stone comes in electric blue or hot pink like that. People carry it for love, self-love and calm.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
Almost all material sold under this name is manufactured glass. A genuine natural stone called strawberry quartz does exist — quartz with lepidocrocite or hematite inclusions from Kazakhstan, Mexico and Madagascar — and it is far scarcer, far paler and far less glittery.
Mineral facts
Hardness
5-6 Mohs
Formula
SiO2 glass + Cu/Fe flake
Family
man-made
Where it comes from
manufactured, principally China. Natural counterpart: Kazakhstan, Mexico, Madagascar, Russia
What it is
Two different things share this name, and the blue and gold versions settle it instantly. Most strawberry quartz is manufactured glitter glass, clear glass seeded with identical reflective flakes, and no natural stone comes in electric blue or hot pink like that. A genuine natural strawberry quartz does exist, real quartz with irregular iron platelets from a few countries, but it is far scarcer, paler and less glittery. The tell in the fake is the flakes, all the same size in swirled bands, over round bubbles. In lore it borrows rose quartz's love and gentleness.
What it is confused with
rose-quartz, cherry-quartz, goldstone, natural-lepidocrocite-quartz, sunstone
Clear-to-coloured glass carrying an even scatter of small metallic or reflective flakes that read as 'seeds'. In the manufactured version the flakes are uniform in size and shape and are suspended in swirled bands, and the body colour is unnaturally vivid, electric blue, hot pink and gold varieties have no natural counterpart whatsoever. Round bubbles and directional flow swirls under 10x. Genuine natural strawberry quartz exists (quartz with irregular lepidocrocite or hematite platelets) and its inclusions are irregular, angular and randomly sized in a hazy natural quartz body.
Commonly faked · check before you buy
How to tell
Uniform flake size plus vivid body colour plus round bubbles equals glass. Blue, gold and black 'strawberry quartz' are always manufactured. Natural material shows irregular red-brown platelets of varying size and shape scattered without pattern in a slightly milky quartz.
Almost all material sold under this name is manufactured glass. A genuine natural stone called strawberry quartz does exist, quartz with lepidocrocite or hematite inclusions from Kazakhstan, Mexico and Madagascar, and it is far scarcer, far paler and far less glittery.
What it means for you
The moon is in Scorpio today. Carry strawberry quartz (glass). It is a man-made. In old stories it is the stone for when the problem is closeness, not heat.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Strawberry Quartz (Glass) for every sign
Aries
Nature does not make flakes that are all the same size.
Nature does not make flakes that are all the same size. The blue and gold versions settle it instantly, since neither colour exists this way in any rock. A genuine natural strawberry quartz does exist, from Kazakhstan and Madagascar, and it is much paler and far duller in a photograph.
Taurus
Nature does not make them all the same size.
Two entirely different things share this name. One is a scarce natural quartz with red iron-oxide platelets from Kazakhstan and Madagascar, paler and far less glittery. The other is manufactured glitter glass, and the flakes give it away, because nature does not make them all the same size.
Gemini
Nature never makes the flakes all the same size.
Two different things wear this name: a scarce natural quartz carrying red iron-oxide platelets, and a very large volume of glitter glass. The blue and gold versions settle it instantly, since neither exists in nature. Nature also never makes the flakes all the same size.
Cancer
The real one is paler, scarcer and loses on looks.
There is a real strawberry quartz, with irregular red lepidocrocite platelets scattered through it, and it is paler and scarcer than what sells under the name. Almost everything on the shelf is glitter glass, and the blue and gold versions are always manufactured. The real one loses on looks.
Leo
Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Check the flakes. Nature does not make them all the same size, and in the manufactured version they are uniform and suspended in swirled bands. A genuine natural strawberry quartz does exist, with lepidocrocite platelets, and it is far paler and far scarcer. The electric blue version settles it instantly.
Virgo
Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Two entirely different things carry this name. There is a scarce natural quartz holding irregular lepidocrocite platelets, and there is an ocean of manufactured glitter glass, and the flakes tell you which one you have. Nature does not make them all the same size. Blue and gold versions settle it instantly.
Libra
Nature does not make the flakes all one size.
Two different things wear this name and only one of them was mined. In the manufactured version the metallic flakes are all the same size and shape, suspended in swirled bands, because a machine put them there. Nature does not make them uniform. The natural stone is paler and much scarcer.
Scorpio
Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Two entirely different things share this name. One is a scarce natural quartz carrying irregular red lepidocrocite platelets, and the other is an enormous volume of manufactured glitter glass in colours that do not exist. Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Sagittarius
Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Two different things wear this name: a scarce natural quartz carrying red iron-oxide platelets, and an enormous volume of manufactured glitter glass. The blue and gold versions settle it instantly, since neither colour exists in nature this way. Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Capricorn
Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Two entirely different things share this name: a scarce natural quartz carrying irregular red-brown iron-oxide platelets, and an enormous volume of manufactured glitter glass. The blue and gold versions settle it at a glance, since neither colour exists in nature. Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Aquarius
Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Two different materials share this name. One is a scarce natural quartz carrying red iron-oxide platelets, the other an enormous volume of manufactured glitter glass, which the electric blue and gold versions give away instantly. Nature does not make the flakes all the same size.
Pisces
Check whether the flakes are all the same size.
There is a genuine strawberry quartz, carrying red lepidocrocite platelets, from Kazakhstan and Madagascar, and it is scarce. There is also an ocean of glitter glass wearing the same name, which the electric blue and gold versions give away at once. Check whether the flakes are all the same size.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
fire
Planet
Venus
Chakra
heart
Signs
libra, leo, taurus
What tradition says
In crystal lore, strawberry quartz is given rose quartz's attributions of love and gentleness; the natural version has a small following, while the glass version has a large one.
Care
- Water is fine. Dry it afterwards.
- Inert glass; chips and scratches. Warm water and a soft cloth.
Common questions
What does strawberry quartz (glass) mean?
Strawberry Quartz (Glass) is carried for love, self-love and calm. Two different things share this name, and the blue and gold versions settle it instantly.. Tradition links it to the heart chakra.
Is strawberry quartz (glass) real or fake?
Almost all material sold under this name is manufactured glass. A genuine natural stone called strawberry quartz does exist — quartz with lepidocrocite or hematite inclusions from Kazakhstan, Mexico and Madagascar — and it is far scarcer, far paler and far less glittery.. Uniform flake size plus vivid body colour plus round bubbles equals glass. Blue, gold and black 'strawberry quartz' are always manufactured.. Almost all material sold under this name is manufactured glass.
Can strawberry quartz (glass) go in water?
A short rinse is fine for strawberry quartz (glass), then dry it.
Common · pink-red with glitter, electric blue with glitter, gold, black with copper flecks
Where this leads
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works