Giveaway: Rose Quartz

Plus Rocks.

Please see the main post for more details!

Prize pack includes:
1 piece of rose quartz

Okay, besides the list of prizes in the main post, you can't be surprised that I've thrown a rock in here.  Or mineral, in this case.  What's the difference between a mineral and a rock, you ask?  A mineral is a natural (or sometimes man-made!) substance with a characteristic chemical composition and atomic structure and specific physical properties (like creating a coloured streak on a piece of ceramic, being hard enough to cut glass or soft enough to scratch with your fingernail, having a metallic shine, or breaking in nice, often parallel, flat planes)  A rock is an aggregate, made up of often multiple minerals and doesn't have a specific chemical characteristic.

Clear as mud?  Are you saying to yourself right now, 'Heather, it's too damn early for science crap'?  That's okay!  Really, if you're not interested in all of that, just smile and nod, ignore the sciency bits, and admire the pretty rock *coughmineralcough*.

Because boy is it pretty!  These photos don't give it justice at all, it's much pinker than my camera was willing to show.

Quartz is a silicate mineral, and the chemical composition is SiO2.  It's chemically similar to regular old window glass, which is made by melting - get this - quartz sand.  Cool, eh?  So a lot of the properties you see in glass is present in quartz.

Quartz is my all time favourite minerals.  There are other favs, of course, I doubt there's a geologist alive who only have one, but this one is definitely up at the top for me.  It's also one of the most commonly found minerals on the Earth's crust.  So lucky me, I'm pretty happy where ever I go!

Source

Why is it my favourite?  There's a few reasons.  The very first thing that charmed me about this mineral (and it's beyond my comprehension why) was the conchoidal way that it fractures, where the fractures in the rock are concave and rounded, resembling a shell.  And how can you resist a mineral that can naturally form into a heart?!

Although, one of my least favourite things is it's crystal habit.  Probably because it's so over-used - everywhere you go, you can find quartz crystals being sold for their "meaning".  I'm sorry, there aren't many geologist who hold to that stuff.

But if you do (and I promise I won't judge you!), rose quartz is apparently "known as the 'Love Stone' and is said to be the stone of unconditional love. This crystal opens the Heart Chakra and is believed to encourage forgiveness and to help you to let go of anger, resentment and jealousy."

OKAY MOVING ON.

I also love that it comes in a variety of colours.  Guys, this mineral can be clear, white, purple, pink, brown, black, grey, green, orange, red, yellow, and blue.  It can also be multicoloured or banded.  Seriously!  Smoky quartz is my all time favourite, but unfortunately I don't have a sample to share with you guys right now.  The reason it comes in such a range is that quartz crystal structure of quartz is able to accept impurities well.

Rose quartz possibly gets it's pink colour from tiny amounts of titanium in rutile (TiO2) inclusions, or possibly by something else - the debate has been raging for decades.  Regardless, it's a lovely variety of quartz, and one found in a lot of places.  Even here, somewhere.  I know there's a deposit somewhere between Whitehorse and Skagway, and I'm determined to find it someday!  That's where this sample came from, actually.  So some lucky winner will be receiving a genuine Yukon (or Alaskan - haven't narrowed it down yet) rose quartz sample!

Interested in having a pretty rock mineral for your shelf?  Please sign up below!  And don't forget to let me know how I can reach you if you win.  Link to an email in a profile, Ravelry account, or note it below.  GOOD LUCK!