Quartz, in general, is one of the most abundant minerals on the planet. It is a commonly used crystal but is significantly diverse in terms of appearance. The latter part refers to the big list of stones belonging to the quartz family. One of them is strawberry quartz, a reddish crystal found as a rare quartz variety.
This quartz is gaining popularity with the increasing number of people using healing crystals for feeling peaceful in today’s stressful lives. It is known to provide inner peace by facilitating its users to focus on internal strength and blocking negative energies.
It is also deeply linked to the positive energies of spreading love and friendship. Let’s find out more about this quartz stone in this post.
Meaning
Strawberry quartz is a novel crystal for metaphysical believers. Thus, its name is not found in any of the ancient texts or lapidaries explaining gemstones and revealing their powers. Strawberry quartz is a famous promotional name for quartz that is red, reddish-purple, or dark pink. It is named so, as it resembles the red color of strawberries at times.
The first recognized mention of red quartz dates to the 19th century when a red hematite quartz stone featuring a fine grain structure was seen in iron mines of Britain. It was first named scarlet quartz.
Today, both scientific and metaphysical collectors refer to the reddish-pink quartz as strawberry quartz. It is known by different names such as red quartz, red amethyst, scarlet quartz, hematite quartz, and ferruginous quartz.
The meaning of the name of this stone is associated with the color. It is typically red but differs as per the mineral composition. Regardless of the color shade or tone, these stones possess excellent healing energy, although they may differ from one stone to another.
In the domain of crystal healing, this stone is a multi-faceted one having different meanings. It is potent as a quartz stone and amplifies the power of other stones while infusing the users with its inherent healing energy.
The core meaning of this gemstone is that it is for universal love. No, it is not about finding love but spreading love no matter where you go. The energy from the red pink crystal inspires you to nurture love. Even in the most displeasing times, it makes you recall the mighty power of love and what it can do.
Another meaning of this stone is positivity, which finally makes you more in tune with yourself. It is the eventual heart-healer to change your attitude towards life and people.
Properties
Physical Properties
Strawberry quartz is a macro-crystalline silicate mineral that is typically fully transparent and has small specks or flakes of iron oxide. It contains other minerals such as goethite, hematite, lepidocrocite, and needle-like inclusions such as tourmaline and rutile.
The presence of these minerals and the iron oxide results in red color or shade. For example, a blend of iron oxide and goethite gives a stunningly looking, pink-colored quartz. The color can range from raspberry pink to red, depending on the number of individual minerals in the stone.
Strawberry quartz is found as a big easy-to-identify crystal that is typically clear with a spiky top and sharp edges. The crystal is often bright and glows with a deep red hue when polished or dived, which seems to be very attractive to most gem lovers.
The crystalline structure of this silicate stone is trigonal. The typical chemical composition is the blend of Hematite inclusions and silicon dioxide. Just like other quartz stones, this one has a hardness rating of 7 on the Mohs scale.
Strawberry quartz is easily but mistakenly believed to be rose quartz. While both have many common properties, the former is quite darker than the latter due to the presence of iron oxide and goethite in the composition.
Light pink due to the inclusions of titanium means it is rose quartz; whereas, dark pink or red shade indicates strawberry quartz. Although the color ranges from dark to light pink and red, there are often reddish brown, white, black, or darker pink markings or lines in this stone.
Metaphysical Properties
Strawberry quartz is known to carry a vibrational vigor of love. Thus, it can aid you in loving yourself, which is believed to be quite complicated. The stone is likely to instill a sense of your own value and reveals how much the powers of the universe love you. Once you begin to believe in yourself genuinely, other people will just follow it.
This quartz stone aids in assuring that your skills and talent do not go unobserved and that others have great respect for your contributions. It can show you the purpose of life and support you by pushing you to work towards what your destiny has for you. This is considered one of the most robust abilities of this stone.
You can use this stone to know your path in life and get the replies you are seeking for finding your ecstasy. The stone can easily trigger a sense of tranquility when you are under stress. Its calming, fostering vibration truly works here.
The presence of hematite inclusions indicates that strawberry quartz is also a grounding stone. Consider trying this stone to restore yourself to your true place if you have the feeling of being disconnected from the world due to anxieties and worries.
With this crystal, you can easily develop strong bonds and friendships. As a crystal of spiritual support, this stone can awaken our spiritual senses.
Where to buy Strawberry Quartz
Usually Etsy or Amazon is a good idea. Etsy is the leading online global marketplace of handmade, vintage, and creative goods. Amazon is one of the largest global online marketplaces. Both of them are reliable and easy to find your favorite items there.
Strawberry Quartz in jewelry uses
As strawberry quartz has a good level of hardness, it is durable enough to last long. Thus, it is used in making different types of jewelry. This gemstone is available in big carat sizes, which it is preferable for making stunning pendants, cocktail rings, beads, and brooches.
Often, strawberry quartz is used along with rose quartz for creating eye-catching feminine jewelry pieces such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. It is also used as a stone in chakra jewelry while meditating on the Base chakra. This stone is also seen in bigger pieces fixed into ornamentals such as candle holders.
Due to its distinct inclusions, you will never find two identical strawberry quartz stones. This means that it is ideal for once-in-a-lifetime jewelry pieces or exclusive creativity for a special piece.
These stones are typically cut into cabochons as domed tops and flat bottoms or are directly faceted with basic outlines in spherical and oval shapes. These simple cuts facilitate one to see the inclusions and the attractive subtle colors clearly. They are complementary to the welcoming pink and red tones and allow cherishing the hematite or lepidocrocite patterns inside.
Where does Strawberry Quartz come from
As per the records, strawberry quartz was first found in Mexico. However, many experts believe that its original location is still a mystery. The rare stone is usually found in small quantities and as a secondary mineral at amethyst mines. Once uncommon, this stone is now more readily available.
Today, its notable deposits are seen in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, California, England, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, China, and Russia.
How much is Strawberry Quartz worth
This red quartz is classified into three groups for valuing and determining the cost of each unique sample. First, there are lighter-colored strawberry quartz stones, which are of the poorest quality. Thus, they are the cheapest of all classified groups. They are also more translucent than their darker equivalents.
Second, there are red stones that contain less pigment than the costliest crystals. Last, there are strawberry quartz stones that sparkle and feature a rich red color just like a ruby. Obviously, these are the costliest of all other strawberry quartz stones.
Still, overall, the price range seems to be inexpensive as compared to other quartz stones. Although there are pale pieces, those with a mid to darker pink shade having profound pink markings are polished to make stunning gemstones.
Overall, the price of gemstones is then determined as per the degree of clarity or transparency. The opaque gemstones will not allow the light to pass despite being placed in front of a light source. The translucent ones will allow, but still one cannot clearly see through the stone.
The transparent gemstones will allow the light to pass unlimitedly, due to which you can view the inclusions inside the stone and objects on the other side. These are top-quality strawberry quartz gemstones and tend to cost higher than the opaque ones.
How to cleanse Strawberry Quartz
This red or pink quartz can absorb and convert negative energies present in your field of aura as well as the surroundings. If this is the purpose of using strawberry quartz, it is essential to cleanse and charge the crystal frequently.
The best way to cleanse it is to hold it in clear running water for a couple of minutes. However, if you are using a polished, sealed piece, it is best to cleanse it with saltwater. This waterworks by first neutralizing and then cleansing the negative energies. It is also recommended to soak the stone in the saltwater for four hours at least, although experts go for 24 hours. Finally, wipe it to make it dry.
If you are using an unsealed piece, it is not recommended to use water due to the probable presence of corrosive minerals in it. So, instead of water for cleansing an unsealed crystal, consider using brown rice. All you need to do is bury the stone in a bowl full of brown rice, as this rice is known to remove negative energies swiftly.
One more natural way of cleansing a strawberry quartz stone is to utilize sage smoke. Just take some white sage, light it, and allow its smoke to pass over the stone. Doing so will remove negative energies quickly.
For charging your piece with universal energy, just put it in a bowl of clear water and place the bowl in the moonlight throughout the night.
Compared to similar stones
Strawberry Quartz vs. Cherry Quartz
Many of us consider both these stones to be equal due to their identical color. However, both are different. Out of the two, one is dyed with pink color, and the other naturally appears so.
Cherry quartz is artificially dyed with a pink shade, while the strawberry quartz naturally has the strawberry shade of pink in it. So, it is fully natural.
Strawberry Quartz vs. Red Aventurine
It is true that red aventurine is often understood as strawberry quartz. However, both differ significantly. Strawberry quartz is considered a less saturated as well as a paler form of red aventurine. The latter features a saturated and deep red color with miniature bright inclusions across its surface. On the other hand, strawberry quartz will often be pale pink or red with the same sparkle as the red aventurine crystal.
The best combination to use with Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry quartz is often used with clear quartz and rose quartz to make jewelry. This amplifies the energies of each other to give you a perfect blend of healing and empowerment.
For meditating on the Base chakra, this stone is usually combined with red jasper. Similarly, for the Heart chakra, strawberry quartz is used along with rose quartz, emerald, pink kunzite, or green aventurine to boost the result. You can also use it with heart-chakra resonating stones such as pink tourmaline, pink Peruvian opal, or pink petalite.
When it comes to creating a grid of healing crystals, you can use this quartz stone with a myriad of crystals. For example, for emotional healing, consider using it with rose quartz and selenite. Similarly, for healing financial crises or issues, it is recommended to use it with orange or yellow jaspers or citrine.
Strawberry quartz is considered quite helpful for letting go of past emotional sores or trauma. To get better results here, try using it with other stones such as peridot, lapis lazuli, orange calcite, kunzite, wavellite, orange millennium, peridot, rose quartz, mahogany obsidian, or thulite.
This quartz stone is also known to eradicate your feelings of anxieties and worries when you use it with stones such as sandalwood, hematite, rose quartz, graveyard plum agate, galaxite, rhodonite, tourmalated quartz, labradorite, fluorite, berlinite, and azurite malachite.
Some heart-based stones help you to come out of emotional wounds, which encompass the different green garnets, rainforest jasper, rhodochrosite, and cobaltian calcite.
You are likely to get a significant amount of supportive feeling if you combine strawberry quartz with other crystals that are known to improve the level of love towards yourself. These crystals are morganite, kutnohorite, thulite, linarite, and rose quartz. These stones represent loving energy that is also likely to heighten the vibrational strength of this stone. They are also known to foster emotional healing.
If you are finding it hard to accept a change, consider using strawberry quartz with other crystals such as augite, clevelandite, malachite, and labradorite.
Final Words
Strawberry quartz, although a rare quartz crystal, is easily available nowadays and is beneficial for those who want to get rid of all negative energies by welcoming soothing ones. It is widely used by healers and therapists who then feel a close personal connection with their heart and above-heart chakras. The energies of this stone are loving, supportive, and comforting.
