Engineering Maze

Aqua Aura Quartz - Brazil

Aqua aura 

Natural crystal that has been coated with gold fumes.It is created in a vacuum chamber from quartz crystals and gold vapor by a process known as vapour deposition.The quartz is heated to 871 °C (1600 °F) in a vacuum, and then gold vapor is added to the chamber. The gold atoms fuse to the crystal's surface, which gives the crystal an iridescent metallic sheen. The process was awarded the United States Patent No. 6997014 on 14 February 2006.

Properties:

A coppery surface iridescence in tangential illumination
Diffused dark outlines of some facet junctions
A patchy blue colour distribution on some facets
White facet junctions, irregular white abrasions and surface pits, where the treatment either did not "take" or had been abraded away.


Additional elements can be used to treat quartz, such as indium, titanium, and copper. The coloring of this treatment is only on the surface, so all faceted and polished material you find has been treated after it has been made originally. Often, quartz of lesser quality, with fractures and weak spots, will break apart during the coating process