Green strawberry quartz is a relatively new and rare quartz variety that has been gaining popularity in recent years. But is it real or just a made up marketing name? Let's explore the facts around this unique quartz.
What is Strawberry Quartz?
First, it helps to understand what strawberry quartz is. Natural strawberry quartz is a pink variety of quartz that gets its color from mineral inclusions of iron oxides or hematite. It is found in mines around the world, most notably in India. The pink color ranges from very light pink to deep vibrant reddish pink that resembles the color of strawberries, hence the name strawberry quartz.
Strawberry quartz is considered a genuine natural material by geologists and the gemstone industry. The pink color comes from natural mineral inclusions, not dyes or treatments. It's one of several natural color varieties of quartz, along with citrine, amethyst, smoky quartz and others.
What is Green Strawberry Quartz?
The truth is that green strawberry quartz is just a trade name and does not refer to an actual mineral variety. The gemstone being sold under this name is really green aventurine. Aventurine is a type of quartz that contains included minerals like mica or hematite that give it a shimmering effect. The most common color for aventurine is green, though it can also be orange, blue, white or gray.
So why is green aventurine being marketed as "green strawberry quartz"? The name is likely used for marketing purposes to differentiate it from standard green aventurine. By giving it a more specific and descriptive name like "strawberry quartz", sellers can charge higher prices and make it seem like a rare collector's stone. This is an example of trade naming, where catchy names are given to more common minerals in order to increase their value.
While green aventurine is a beautiful stone in its own right, true green strawberry quartz does not exist. Quartz comes in many colors but pink or red strawberry quartz colored by mineral inclusions is very rare. The closest thing is rose quartz, which gets its pale pink color from trace amounts of titanium, iron or manganese.
So, while green strawberry quartz may sound like a lovely and unique gemstone, it is actually just green aventurine with a made-up trade name. Green aventurine's green color comes from inclusions of fuchsite mica whereas true quartz in these pinkish-red shades is extremely uncommon. So if you come across a stone being sold as green strawberry quartz, know that it is really just aventurine trying to sound more special. While not a fake stone, it does not match what the name would suggest. So be aware of trade names that exaggerate a stone's properties when shopping for crystals and gemstones.
