How to identify Titanium Aura Quartz

To correctly identify Titanium Aura Quartz (SiO2 (treated)), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Vibrant, iridescent, metallic sheen with a spectrum of colors, often dominated by blues, purples, golds, and greens. The color is a surface phenomenon.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Metallic to sub-metallic, highly iridescent.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Smooth, glassy surface of the underlying quartz, but the coating can sometimes give a slightly textured appearance under magnification.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Retains the crystal habit of the original quartz, typically hexagonal prisms with pyramidal terminations. Can be found as points, clusters, or tumbled stones.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None (conchoidal fracture of quartz).

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Not found in a geological environment. It is a laboratory-produced material. The base quartz, however, forms in various geological settings, including hydrothermal veins, pegmatites, and igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Key Facts

Hardness

7 on the Mohs scale (of the underlying quartz). The coating is extremely thin and does not significantly alter the bulk hardness.

Specific Gravity

2.65 (of the underlying quartz). The thin coating has negligible effect on specific gravity.

Crystal System

Trigonal (of the underlying quartz).

Color

Iridescent, multi-colored (blues, purples, golds, greens) due to thin-film interference from the metallic coating.

Luster

Metallic to sub-metallic, highly iridescent.

Transparency

Transparent to translucent (of the underlying quartz, visible through the coating).

Fracture

Conchoidal (of the underlying quartz).

Cleavage

None.

Composition

SiO2 (silicon dioxide) with a surface coating of titanium and other metal oxides (e.g., TiOx, NbOx, Au, Pt).

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Typically prismatic hexagonal crystals with pyramidal terminations, or massive/amorphous forms, depending on the original quartz specimen.
• Cleavage Type: None.
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal.
• Tenacity: Brittle.
• Luster Type: Metallic to sub-metallic, iridescent.

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