The mighty Rhine River is famous for legends, mystic secrets and hidden treasure, including small sparkling rock crystals known as Rhine stones. Flowing from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea, the Rhine provides nourishment, work, trade and transportation for thousands of years.
Crystal comes from the Greek word κρύσταλλος or krýstallos, simply meaning crystal. Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder considers clear quartz to be water permanently frozen.
He points out quartz is sometimes found near glaciers in the Alps, but not on volcanic mountains. Pliny believes it forms spheres to cool the hands. The concept continues into the 17th century.
Carved into brilliant objects like vases and urns, quartz pleases crafters and collectors with its clarity, smooth surfaces, medium hardness and prismatic light. As clear as water and ice, rock crystal can even contain rainbows within, due to reflected light from cracks or fractures.
Most rock crystal in large amounts comes from Russia, the US, Madagascar and Brazil. During the Renaissance Milan, Prague and Florence are the main centers for crystal cutting, while Venice is the Queen of glassworks.
Rhinestones are known in 13th century Austria. Small clear stones of quartz are gathered from the shores of the Rhine. Rock crystal rhinestones are used in jewelry and accessories.
Cut in the style of diamonds they sparkle with warm light. Jewelers of the time coat the back with silver or various metals to boost luster and color.
Besides clear, quartz manifests in a bounty of beautiful colors such as purple (amethyst), yellow (citrine), aqua (beryl) and pink (rose quartz). It's the second most abundant stone on Earth, almost pure silica (SiO2), and varies from clear to translucent to opaque, as in agate.
Coloration in quartz happens due to variations in the stone and because it absorbs only certain wavelengths of light. The color humans see comes from those wavelengths left behind. If the crystal absorbs red and blue, it appears as a yellow gem.
If it absorbs yellow, the combination of blue and red make purple as in amethyst. Amethyst is a desirable gem since Roman times, when it has the theoretical power to stave off drunkenness.
If red light waves are absorbed, the resulting color is aquamarine, like the ocean or mountain streams. Clear quartz absorbs no wavelengths and reflects all colors. It's famous for creating the marvelous prismatic or rainbow effect, also seen in spray of waterfalls and fountains.
How to tell if quartz is real? Clear rock crystal quartz has a Mohs hardness scale level of 7. Scratched on glass, which has a hardness of 5.5, the crystal should leave a white mark or streak.
Clear quartz has a mystical property, the pyroelectric effect. Two pieces of quartz rubbed together in a dark room produce a light glimmer or flash. The pyroelectric effect happens due to a heat change in stones which have undergone considerable pressure.
Friction such as rubbing causes the crystals to heat up, release the charge and make a flash. Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus and German scientist Franz Aepinus study the effect in the mid-1700s.
The first demonstration is in the 1880s by the French physicists Jacques and Pierre Curie. The brothers uses tourmaline, topaz, quartz, cane sugar and Rochelle salt (potassium sodium tartrate) to test the effect.
Quartz and Rochelle salt show the greatest amount of pyroelectricity. Rochelle salt is a man-made double salt first created in 1675 by apothecary Pierre Seignette in La Rochelle, France.
Because of the pyroelectric effect quartz comes to be used in clocks and watches to create a precise electrical signal. Intended for radios, the crystal surges in demand as a timepiece regulator when scientists find it more accurate than a pendulum.
Faux Rhinestones, Leaded Glass and Austrian Crystal
Faux rhinestones hit the market in the 18th century. As natural rhinestone sources dwindle, Alsatian jeweler Georg Friedrich Strass (1701-1773) develops imitation diamonds by coating the lower side of lead glass with metal powder. These are the type of rhinestones sold today.
The term crystal is also used for leaded glassware or beads. Leaded glass crystal is light and more resilient when heated to a liquid, so can be made thinner than regular glass. It has a musical ting when tapped.
When a wet fingertip is run around the rim, the glass sings a chime. Food or drink shouldn't be stored long in leaded glass vessels due to lead leakage.
Although clear quartz is found in the Alps, Austrian crystal is man-made treated glass. The technique has been refined and modified with precision so Austrian crystal becomes one of the most alluring and magical of creations. It's ever popular in ornaments and jewelry.
Today's rhinestones are metal-backed glass or synthetic stone available in countless hues. Heat can create changes in color. Light refraction of multiple wavelengths and facet reflections add sparkle and gleam to draw the eye, and a magical sheen for mystique.
But if you happen to be on the shores of the Rhine, especially up the alpine way, take a look around. A real quartz rhinestone might be winking in the sunshine - a rare and lucky find.
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