Aqua Aura

Mineral Species: Quartz + precious metal

Chemical Formula: SiO₂ + precious metals

Mohs Scale Hardness: 7

Location: USA and China

Typical Appearance: Typical Quartz look with a variety of different iridescent colourings.

Aqua Aura is created through atomic vapour deposition. This is when a vacuum chamber containing Quartz crystals is heated to high temperatures and metal vapour (such as Gold, Platinum, Titanium, etc) is added to the chamber. The atoms fuse to the surface of the Quartz crystals, which gives the notable iridescent metallic shine.

In recent years there has been a lot of "Aqua Aura" coming out of China. This electro-plated Quartz does not have the same lustre as the original process, but it is now the most common form of "Aqua Aura" available in the world. It uses a different process to the original Aqua Aura but can look fairly similar for a specimen that costs far less as it uses a lot less materials and is a lot easier to do.

Types of Aura Crystals:

• Aqua Aura - Contains Gold. Most well known form of Aqua Aura, Blue in colour
• Angel Aura - Contains Platinum and Silver. Very light blue shine on white crystal. Looks opalescent. Quite often used interchangably with Opal Aura
• Dark Angel Aura - Contains Platinum. The original Quartz crystal has impurities which creates dark grey to black areas
• Apple Aura - Contains Nickle. Yellow-Green colour similar to a granny smith apple.
• Blue Aura / Cobalt Aura - Contains Cobalt. Metallic dark blue colour with some rainbow effect
• Champagne Aura - Contains Gold and Iron or sometimes contains Gold and Indium. Honey-Brown coloured.
• Flame Aura / Rainbow Aura - Contains Titanium and trace amounts of Niobium. Metallic rainbow colouring, not transluscent.
• Opal Aura (sometimes called Angel Aura) - Contains Platinum. Creates a pearly sheen on Quartz crystal.
• Ruby Aura / Rose Aura - Contains Platinum, Gold and Silver. Different percentages of Gold and Silver creates different shades of Red.
• Sunshine Aura / Sunrise Aura - Contains Bismuth. Yellow crystal with iridescence.
• Tangerine Aura / Sun Aura / Melon Aura - Contains Iron and Gold. Light orange iridescence. Honey Coloured.
• Tanzine Aura / Tanzanite Aura / Ocean Aura - Contains Gold and Indium. Has a Tanzanite blue colouring.