Watch making was revolutionized when the Swiss captured quartz’s piezoelectric property and began producing quartz watches. Quartz movements run on batteries, simplifying on lives. This ability to generate energy also made quartz essential in the development of much of today’s technology.

Quartz develops with one of two structure types: macrocrystalline and cryptocrystalline. Macro forms have very large crystal structures that are visible to the unaided eye and include the most well-known varieties such as rock crystal (clear), smoky quartz (brown), citrine (yellow) and amethyst (purple). Another example that was virtually unheard of till recently but is increasing in popularity and usually seen in big chunky pieces of jewelry is rutilated quartz with is typically clear with what looks like straw throughout as inclusions much like the debris trapped inside of amber. Cryptocrystalline structures are tiny, too small to even be seen under a lighted microscope, and include gemstones such as calcedony (blue or lavender) and agate (almost every color imaginable and variegated with multiple colors in a single stone). These gemstones are opaque and cut into cabochons. This variety is less expensive than the more well known, popular faceted ones. Varied and versatile, the quartz family of gemstones have something to offer everyone.