How much are Quartz Crystals?
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral on the planet, but its versatility makes quartz crystal a valuable component in everything from jewellery to construction to electronics. With its unique electrical and thermal properties, quartz has been used as a frequency control component for the last century.
When subjected to pressure or tension, a properly-cut quartz crystal will give off an electric voltage and vibrate an exact number of times per minute, making quartz crystals a vital part of circuits in wireless communication and clocks.
Quartz is mined and synthetically grown around the world, including in the United Kingdom, to produce these beneficial crystals for use in a variety of industries. The cost of quartz crystals depends on a lot of different factors, including how they’re cut and their intended use.
Here’s a quick guide to how much certain types of quartz crystals are worth according to their quality and purpose.
How much are quartz crystals worth?
Most people will be aware of quartz only as a gemstone, available in a variety of colours under different names such as amethyst and citrine. When used for jewellery, it’s not as valuable as other minerals like diamonds, but quartz is still profitable.
The value isn’t in the raw quartz itself, but in the appearance of the end product following the labour of cutting, heat treatments, and polishing. The colour and shape of quartz crystals is more important in jewellery-making because the purpose is aesthetic.
You can expect to pay around $10-$20 or ÂŁ7-ÂŁ15 per pound of decent quality quartz crystals. Crystals with a better colour, clarity, and cut will be worth more, with amethyst being one of the most valuable forms of quartz.
The size of the crystal also determines its worth; while bigger intact crystals are more expensive in jewellery, small quartz crystals are more valuable for engineering and electronic purposes.
How much are quartz crystals for engineering and electronics?
Quartz crystals are often used to determine frequencies in oscillating circuits. To produce a Piezo-electric effect (when an electrical charge changes the crystal shape, and it becomes a transducer) the quartz must be cut into very small and thin pieces.
Once it’s been cut and shaped, it can’t be used for any other frequency, so the size and shape permanently determine the oscillation capabilities of crystal quartz. The frequency range and extent of its potential applications then determines the value of the quartz crystal for electronics and engineering.
According to the international business magazine of the same name, pure quartz for electronics is worth $280 per kilogram, which equates to $617.29 or £444.62 per pound. However, purpose-designed quartz crystals are much cheaper than you might think once they’ve gone through a manufacturing process.
This is because quartz crystals are usually sold in bulk for further industrial and commercial manufacturing. The more you buy, the cheaper it works out per crystal. For example, an UM-1 package could cost up to ÂŁ2 for a single crystal but only 90p for up to 500 of them in a bulk order. Similarly, a single HC49 crystal could cost 30p, while 500 could cost as little as 15p.
Generally, you can expect to pay ÂŁ1.50-ÂŁ3 for a single quartz crystal, but half this amount or less if you order a large amount. Many sellers will set minimum order amounts of anywhere from 25 to 1,000 crystals, making bulk buying quartz crystals affordable for clients who use larger quantities of them in their work.
