30mm Rose quartz heart from Madagascar, beautiful heart that has been cut entirely by hand.

The heart is a very old symbol of love used by everyone around the world. Traditionally, the heart has been chosen in several cultures as the seat of love and feeling. It is not entirely clear why the heart was chosen as a love symbol. Perhaps because the heart is automatically related to the (feeling) life and without the heart (read love) no life is possible. The heartbeat is partly influenced by feelings; so our hearts beat faster when in love. The heart likes to be loved. The heart needs love. It has even been claimed that love extends life expectancy, while loneliness is counterproductive. Everyone knows the phrase, "He died of a broken heart."

Rose quartz (Love stone) is a quartz variety. The color varies from dark pink to very light, translucent pink. Rose quartz, named for its pink color, is often cracked and usually slightly cloudy. The coloring agents are titanium and manganese. The color can fade, causing very small rutile needles with cabochon cut a six-rayed star. Rose quartz has been worked as a gemstone for a long time. The best rose quartz is extracted in Madagascar. Cat's eye rose quartz is found in Sri Lanka. It is also found in Kenya, Mozambique and Namibia. In Brazil there are numerous sites, in Minas Gerais rose quartz was first found in 1959, some rose quartz from Brazil show cat's eye or asterism. In the United States, rose quartz is found in the states of Maine, California, South Dakota, and Colorado. Asterism occurs in rose quartz from New York and Georgia. Russia, Kazakhstan, India and Japan also supply rose quartz. Rose quartz of more than 20 carats is rarely faceted. Inside the American Museum of Natural History is a 625 carat rose quartz sphere that displays asterism.