Lithium Quartz Mineral Testing

“Lithium Quartz”, as it was labeled by metaphysical vendors, became an extremely popular and hard to find crystal from Bahia, Brazil everyone wanted in their collection. 

Healingcrystals.com says:

“Lithium Quartz Crystal is pure clear quartz with inclusions of magenta-colored Lithium ions. Lithium Quartz is a combination of pure clear quartz with inclusions of Lithium rich minerals.  The Lithium is often seen as a pale pink to mauve phantom within the quartz.”

Ravencrystals.com says:

                “Lithium quartz occurs as prismatic quartz crystals with phantom inclusions of lithium material.”

Crystalhealingforwomen.com:

“Its colors are thought to come from inclusions of Lepidolite, a Lithium mineral, as well as other minerals such as Manganese, Aluminum, Iron & Kaolinite.

Lithium Quartz Crystal is pure clear quartz with inclusions of magenta-colored Lithium ions

I could go on, but basically each shop just adapts the same description over and over.

Here’s what the laboratory found:

• The pink color is a result of iron content, submicroscopic particles so finely divided that they yield the pink color observed.
• Manganese is also present but in far lower concentration than iron and titanium.
• Aluminum was not detected; thus the pink color is not caused by inclusions of lepidolite.
• Lithium is not a chromophore, the pink color is not related to lithium.
• Lithium content: 32 parts per million, far less than other lithium bearing minerals.