Identification guide · Quartz Family
How to Identify Clear Quartz
Clear Quartz is usually colorless and white with a vitreous luster and is transparent. It has a Mohs hardness of 7. It scratches glass and a steel knife and cannot be scratched by a steel file. Its streak is white. It is most often confused with Quartz, Milky Quartz, and Prasiolite; the tests below separate them.
Clear Quartz identification checklist
| Color | Colorless, White | Look at a clean, dry surface in daylight. Color zoning, banding or spots are as diagnostic as the hue. |
|---|---|---|
| Luster | Vitreous | Fresh surfaces shine like glass; a dull surface usually means weathering, so chip or wet a corner. |
| Transparency | Transparent | Hold a thin edge up to a bright light and note whether light passes through. |
| Mohs hardness | 7 | It scratches glass and a steel knife and cannot be scratched by a steel file. |
| Streak | White | Drag a corner across unglazed porcelain (the back of a bathroom tile) and check the powder color. |
| Cleavage | None | |
| Fracture | Conchoidal | Broken surfaces show smooth, curved, shell-like scoops. |
| Specific gravity | 2.65 | Ordinary rock-like heft (specific gravity about 2.65), similar to quartz. |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal |
Extra tests for Clear Quartz
Glass check. Clear Quartz shares a glassy luster and conchoidal fracture with man-made glass. Glass sits near Mohs 5.5 and often contains round gas bubbles, so a hardness test and a hand lens separate them.
Clear Quartz look-alikes and how to tell them apart
Both sit near Mohs 7, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Clear Quartz vs Quartz →
Both sit near Mohs 7, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Clear Quartz vs Milky Quartz →
Both sit near Mohs 7, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Clear Quartz vs Prasiolite →
Both sit near Mohs 7, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead.
Is my Clear Quartz real?
- Hardness: real Clear Quartz sits at Mohs 7. Glass imitations are about 5.5, so genuine Clear Quartz scratches glass while a glass fake cannot.
- Bubbles: round gas bubbles under a 10x loupe mean glass or resin, never a natural stone.
- Color: dyed material concentrates color in cracks and pores; look for pigment collecting at the edges of fractures.
- Temperature: natural crystals feel cool and take longer to warm in your hand than plastic or resin.
Field tips
- Check whether the specimen's color and texture match typical Clear Quartz examples.
- Use hardness, streak, luster, grain size, and locality together; no single trait is enough for every specimen.
Clear Quartz identification FAQ
How can you tell if a rock is Clear Quartz?
Check the color (colorless and white), the vitreous luster, a Mohs hardness of 7 and a white streak. Photographing it with the StoneSnap app gives a match in seconds.
What is the hardness of Clear Quartz?
Clear Quartz has a Mohs hardness of 7. It scratches glass and a steel knife and cannot be scratched by a steel file.
What is the difference between Clear Quartz and Quartz?
Clear Quartz (Mohs 7, vitreous luster) and Quartz (Mohs 7, vitreous, greasy on fracture surfaces luster) look alike, but hardness, streak and heft usually separate them. See the full Clear Quartz vs Quartz comparison for a side-by-side table.
How do I know if my Clear Quartz is real?
Real Clear Quartz matches the hardness listed above, shows no round gas bubbles under magnification, and does not concentrate dye in cracks. Glass and resin fakes fail at least one of those checks.
Is Clear Quartz worth anything?
Entry-level Clear Quartz specimens sell for around $5, typical collector pieces about $25, and premium examples $200 or more depending on size, quality and locality.
What color is Clear Quartz?
Clear Quartz is most often colorless and white. Color varies with impurities and locality, so confirm with hardness and luster rather than color alone.
