Madagascar rose quartz show piece on metal stand.

Rose quartz (Stone of love) is a variety of quartz. The color varies from dark pink to very light, translucent pink. Rose quartz, named after its pink color, is often cracked and usually slightly cloudy. The coloring substances are titanium and manganese. The color may fade, cause very small rutile needles in cabochon cut a six-rayed star. Rose quartz has long been worked as a gemstone. The best rose quartz is mined in Madagascar. Cat's eye effect rose quartz is found in Sri Lanka. It also occurs in Kenya, Mozambique and Namibia. There are numerous sites in Brazil, in Minas Gerais rose quartz was first found in 1959, some rose quartz from Brazil show a cat's eye effect 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. Only rarely is rose quartz of more than 20 carats faceted. In the American Museum of Natural History is a 625-carat rose quartz sphere that exhibits asterism.