During World War II, Arkansas quartz’s piezoelectricity and clarity made it a highly sought after industrial product, and it was used in everything from bombsights to wristwatches. These days, most quartz used for industrial purposes is synthetic, however, New Age practitioners familiar with Quartz’s piezoelectric and metaphysical properties want their tools to come straight from the Earth. Many people who feel in-tune with the metaphysical aspects of crystals claim to be able to feel the energy of a Quartz specimen when squeezed within their hand. 

 

Quartz, or silica (SiO2), is a hard, brittle, durable mineral, and is the fourth strongest material on earth after diamond, sapphire, and topaz. It occurs in nature in many varieties, but is best known from Arkansas as prismatic, elongate, transparent, vitreous crystals. The knowledge of Quartz crystal in the Ouachita mountains was held by the first humans to traverse the area, and projectile points formed of chipped Quartz crystal were found by early explorers. Most of the quartz veins are found throughout a 30 to 40 mile wide belt that corresponds to the core region of the Ouachita Mountains. The Quartz crystals were deposited by hot, mineral-rich water during the last stages of mountain formation, some 280 to 245 million years ago. Other minerals are also common to this area, such as Smoky Quartz, which can be found in Magnet Cove. These crystals are a darker color due to radioactivity that irradiated the crystal during or shortly after its formation. Several different types of Quartz are found locally, including Amethyst, which is a purple-hued Quartz, and Citrine, a yellow to brownish colored crystal.

 

Quartz Crystal is widely known as “The Master Healer” within the New Age community. Quartz does have scientifically measurable properties that make it unique among minerals, the most striking of which is piezoelectricity. The piezoelectric effect is the appearance of an electrical voltage across the faces of a crystal when you subject it to mechanical stress by applying pressure. Simplified further, the crystal becomes a kind of battery with a positive charge on one face and a negative charge on the opposite. Electrical current flows if the two faces are connected together to make a circuit. Quartz crystals also vibrate at very precise frequencies; so precise that quartz oscillators can be used as accurate time-keepers. Because of these demonstrable phenomena, it is not surprising that Quartz Crystal has been attributed with supernatural powers since prehistory. 

 

The first known references to the use of crystals is from the Ancient Sumerians (4th millennium BC), who included crystals in their magic formulas. Ancient Egyptians mined for crystals for use in jewelry, designed to make use of their metaphysical properties as aids for health and protection. Crystals have been used for healing in traditional Chinese Medicine, which dates back to at least 5000 years. The Ancient Greeks assigned a multitude of properties to crystals. The word 'crystal' is derived from the Greek word "krýstallos" which translates to "ice". The Ancient Greeks believed that clear quartz crystals were made of water that had been super frozen in a way that turned it to permanent ice. Plato described Atlantis as having crystals the residents used to facilitate telepathy. The Native Americans of the Hopi Tribe in Arizona used quartz crystals to assist in diagnosing illnesses. These are just a few examples of the legends associated with Quartz and other crystals.

 

Throughout history, various kinds of magical powers have been ascribed to crystals. It’s no surprise that these beliefs began to see a rise in popularity in the 1980s. Known as the New Age Movement, this resurgence of ancient medicine and lore is still very popular today. While most scientists say there is no empirical evidence to suggest that crystals have inherent metaphysical properties, most fans and practitioners would beg to differ. There is an undeniable otherworldly feeling when surrounded by the natural wonders of Central Arkansas. The crystal mines full of treasure buried in red clay, the hot springs surging with ancient, mineral-rich waters from deep within the earth, the prehistoric Oachita Mountains rising gently all around, softened by centuries of passing time; all of it feels magical. Even walking into one of the dozen or so crystal shops in the area gives a sense of mysticism. Whether a person collects rocks because they are visually pleasing, scientifically interesting, or supernaturally powerful, the sense of wonder is the same. Arkansas is filled with these wonders, and we here at It’s About Rocks feel incredibly lucky to reside within the heart of it all.