Rose Quartz Stone
Rose quartz: its history, origin and composition, as well as its therapeutic properties in stone carving
History of rose quartz
Rose quartz is closely linked to love and the heart. In the Bronze Age, Middle Eastern civilizations used rose quartz to worship the goddess of fertility, war and love, Asherah. These rituals and offerings continued into ancient times. Rose quartz was also used by many other civilizations, such as the Carthaginians, Etruscans, Greeks, Hebrews, Hittites, Mesopotamians, Phoenicians, Romans or Sumerians.
According to Greek mythology, rose quartz was born in the time of Aphrodite. When her Adonis went out hunting, he was attacked by a wild boar, which was actually Aphrodite's lover Ares. Aphrodite wanted to intervene in the undergrowth, but it was full of thorns. Aphrodite then found her lover Adonis dead. From his blood flowed rose quartz. The Greeks therefore often used this stone to worship the goddess of beauty and love Aphrodite. Another legend has it that the god of love Eros brought rose quartz to the world to represent its beauty and said that the stone was used to replace human hatred and anger with love.
Later in ancient Egypt, rose quartz was considered to have the virtue of longevity. Rose quartz powder was widely used in face masks and to reduce wrinkles. Rose quartz was therefore widely used in funerals and was often placed in the tombs of noble families.
These beliefs also existed in ancient Rome. Rose quartz was imported from two main deposits: India and Sri Lanka. Today, rose quartz is used in a wide range of areas, such as lithotherapy, industry, watchmaking and jewellery. Many pieces of jewellery are made from rose quartz, such as necklaces and bracelets. In lithotherapy, rose quartz pendants can be worn directly on the nerve plexus.
Origin and composition of rose quartz
Rose quartz derives its name from the word ‘quaterz’, meaning ‘bad ore’, which was used until the 16th century. Some hypotheses also link its name to the German word ‘gewärz’, meaning ‘germ’ and ‘growth’. It is not uncommon for pink quartz to be referred to by other names such as conite, azetulite, dragonite, lodolite, konolite or azeztulite.
Quartz itself is a mineral and belongs to the silicate group. Its main component is silicon dioxide. Like other quartz, rose quartz is a large, pink, translucent crystal. Rose quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and is usually twinned, i.e. two separate crystals have grown together. Rose quartz crystallises at a temperature of 573 °C to 870 °C.
The main deposits of rose quartz are located in Brazil, but it can be found in most countries around the world. It is worth noting that quartz makes up 12% of the lithosphere, which is quite a lot.
Rose quartz stone lithotherapy properties
In lithotherapy, rose quartz stone represents love. It is directly linked to the fourth chakra, the heart chakra. Rose quartz represents earthly love and also compassion. It softens cold hearts and enhances the pleasure and joy of love. Rose quartz dissipates suffering in the heart.
Rose quartz is also the stone of peace, love and friendship. It helps the wearer to forgive others, while also respecting themselves and others. It helps depressed people and promotes rapid physical or mental recovery. Pink quartz soothes burns and stimulates the circulatory system and kidneys.
Rose quartz is known for its calming effect and can be placed in the living room or bedroom. Love and peace will reunite, and any tension will be soothed and dispersed. If rose quartz is placed in the bedroom together with black tourmaline, its effect will increase tenfold, as it will bring a calm and restful sleep. It also prevents nightmares.