Madagascan Girasol Quartz Sphere - 48mm, 153g

Locality - Madagascar
Size – 48mm
Weight – 153g

This girasol sphere features gorgeous, milky white colour and displays a nice, subtle bluish glow on its surface under good lighting. It has been expertly shaped and polished and will be accompanied by a wooden stand as pictured.

Girasol quartz is named after a type of opal of the same name, though is technically a white variety of rose quartz, and is known by many other names including 'moon quartz', 'pearl quartz' and 'blue opal quartz', sometimes incorrectly described as a variety of opal. The word comes from the Italian 'girasole', meaning to 'turn towards the Sun', and originally referred to a milky blue glass first produced in Venice during the Renaissance. In appearance girasol quartz is a clear, translucent white or very pale pink with a subtle blue glow caused by its aluminium content, and may occasionally show internal reflective veils or rainbows, or star reflections on its surface. It is found exclusively in Madagascar alongside some of the finest rose quartz worldwide.

Rose quartz is a translucent pink, blue or clear variety of quartz found most commonly in masses made of intergrown microscopic crystals or rarely as well-formed, visible crystals. Its hazy to translucent character is due to microscopic fibrous inclusions of a pink borosilicate mineral related to dumortierite within it. Rose quartz may show asterism when cut and polished as a dome, similar to what is seen in certain sapphires, in a 4 to 6 ray star reflection on the surface; this variety is known as 'star rose quartz' and is highly desirable for use in cabochons and spheres.

Due to the fact girasol quartz itself is named after a variety of opal similar in appearance, it is often incorrectly described as a variety of opal, and whilst 'girasol quartz' is an accepted trade name, 'girasol opal' is not. The name is appropriate as long as buyers are presented with the correct mineralogical information and are aware that the gemstone is a quartz and not an opal. Synthetic opalite is sometimes sold under the name 'girasol', yet it is simply an opalized glass or plastic and is easily recognized as so from its unnaturally uniform milky blue glow and lack of inclusions.