Blue Quartzite
Other Silicates & Gemstones
Blue quartzite is a color variety of quartzite, not a separate mineral. Quartzite is a hard rock dominated by tightly interlocking quartz grains, usually formed when quartz-rich sandstone recrystallizes; minerals such as dumortierite or kyanite can give some material a gray-blue tint.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Quartzite
- Scientific or material identity
- Quartzite
- Classification
- Rock or mixed mineral material
- Composition or formula
- Metamorphic rock dominated by SiO₂
- Crystal system or structure
- Aggregate or composite structure
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Forms or recrystallizes under metamorphic heat and pressure.
- Mohs hardness
- 7
Origins
Canada · Germany · Ireland · Norway · USA
Appearance & optical properties
opaque dusty blue quartzite with granular texture.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- Quartzite has served as stone-tool material since prehistory. Today it is used for paving, flooring, wall cladding, countertops, crushed stone and silica-rich industrial feedstock.
- Handling and cleaning
- Wipe polished pieces with a soft cloth or clean them with warm soapy water. Avoid hard impacts at thin edges and abrasive cleaners that may dull the finish.
Jewellery
5 pieces of Blue Quartzite jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Glacier Cuff
Bracelet
A broad silver cuff set with three flat blue-quartzite cabochons the pale grey-blue of old ice.
Winter Tide Pendant
Pendant
A smooth disc of cloudy blue quartzite held in silver claws, drifting like winter water.
Mist Cabochon Ring
Ring
A simple band set with a round blue-quartzite cabochon that looks like mist over a cold lake.
Morning Haze Necklace
Necklace
An imagined necklace of blue quartzite beads, a soft hazy blue that sparkles faintly like frost in the morning light.
Glacier Tiara
Tiara
An imagined platinum tiara of ice peaks set with blue quartzite, hazy blue like the depths of a glacier.