Clear Quartz Frog Carving

Clear Quartz Frog Carving

Mineral: Clear Quartz

Origin: Brazil

Color: Transparent

Treatment: None

Approximate Dimensions: 7cm x 3.5cm x 3cm

Weight: 80g

10% of this purchase will be donated to The Rainforest Foundation (US)

While jade has been since earliest times the most prized semi-precious stone for carving in East Asia and Pre-Columbian America, in Europe and the Middle East the different varieties of quartz were the most commonly used for the various types of jewelry and hardstone carving, including engraved gems and cameo gems, rock crystal vases, and extravagant vessels.

The tradition continued to produce objects that were very highly valued until the mid-19th century, when it largely fell from fashion except in jewelry. Cameo technique exploits the bands of color in onyx and other varieties.

Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder believed quartz to be water ice, permanently frozen after great lengths of time. (The word "crystal" comes from the Greek word κρύσταλλος, "ice".) He supported this idea by saying that quartz is found near glaciers in the Alps, but not on volcanic mountains, and that large quartz crystals were fashioned into spheres to cool the hands.

This idea persisted until at least the 17th century. He also knew of the ability of quartz to split light into a spectrum.

 Color may vary in images and videos due to different lightings and angles.