Milky Quartz

Milky quartz is the cloudy white variety of quartz, the most common form of crystalline quartz in the Earth's crust. Its whiteness comes not from impurities but from countless microscopic fluid- and gas-filled inclusions trapped as the crystal grew, which scatter light and give the stone its translucent, milky appearance.

Properties

It shares all the physical properties of quartz — trigonal symmetry, hardness 7, no cleavage, conchoidal fracture — differing only in transparency. It often forms the massive vein quartz that hosts gold and other ore minerals.

Occurrence

Milky quartz is found worldwide in hydrothermal veins and granitic pegmatites, frequently as large masses and well-formed crystal points. It commonly grades into clear rock crystal toward crystal terminations, where fewer inclusions were trapped.