Milky Hematoid Quartz with Chlorite | Rostowrack China Clay Pit, Cornwall | No. 1

A beautiful 230g Cornish mineral specimen featuring soft peach-pink hematoid quartz, translucent milky-white crystal growth and delicate olive-green mineral inclusions supplied as chlorite, originating from Rostowrack China Clay Pit at Hendra Downs, near St Dennis, Cornwall.

This attractive specimen combines natural quartz crystallisation, subtle iron-rich colouring and contrasting green mineralisation, offering a fascinating example of the geological diversity associated with Cornwall's historic china clay district.

Specimen Description

This distinctive specimen displays a compact, irregular formation measuring approximately 60.3mm × 60.6mm, with an extensive covering of interlocking quartz crystals across its exposed surfaces.

The most striking feature is its delicate combination of milky-white, champagne and pale peach-pink quartz. Numerous translucent crystals create a softly sparkling surface, while larger crystal faces reflect light from different angles.

The specimen exhibits a naturally uneven, almost triangular profile, with densely packed crystalline growth extending across its upper and central sections.

Subtle orange and reddish-brown staining appears between some of the crystals and along sections of the underlying matrix. These iron-associated colours give the specimen its hematoid appearance.

Small areas of olive-green mineralisation are also visible, particularly towards the lower portion of the specimen. These have been supplied as chlorite and provide an attractive contrast against the surrounding pale quartz.

In the close-up photographs, the green areas appear as fine, irregular patches distributed between and beneath the translucent crystalline surfaces. Their precise mineral composition has not been independently established.

One side reveals a particularly attractive arrangement of larger translucent quartz faces, while the reverse displays more densely intergrown milky crystals with scattered peach and rusty-orange colouration.

The combination of delicate colouring, natural crystal growth and contrasting mineral textures makes this an appealing specimen for collectors of Cornish quartz, British minerals and unusual geological formations.

About the Minerals

Quartz (SiO₂) is a silicon dioxide mineral belonging to the trigonal crystal system, with a Mohs hardness of 7.

Quartz commonly forms when silica-rich geological fluids circulate through fractures, veins and cavities within rocks. As conditions change, dissolved silica can crystallise, producing formations ranging from massive quartz to individual crystals and densely intergrown aggregates.

Milky Quartz is a variety of quartz characterised by its cloudy white or translucent appearance. Its characteristic milkiness is commonly caused by microscopic fluid inclusions that scatter light within the crystal.

In this specimen, milky quartz forms much of the pale crystalline material, with varying degrees of translucency throughout the formation.

Hematoid Quartz is a descriptive trade name for quartz displaying reddish, pink, orange or brown colouring associated with iron-bearing mineral inclusions or staining.

Hematite (Fe₂O₃) is an iron oxide mineral that can produce red and reddish-brown colouration in quartz. Other iron oxides and oxyhydroxides can create similar visual effects.

The subtle peach-pink and rusty-orange areas visible in this specimen are consistent with iron-associated colouring, although the precise iron-bearing mineral responsible has not been independently identified.

Chlorite refers to a group of hydrous sheet-silicate minerals rather than a single mineral species. Chlorite-group minerals commonly display green, olive-green or grey-green colours and may occur as fine-grained aggregates, coatings or inclusions associated with other minerals.

Chlorite minerals can form through hydrothermal alteration and the alteration of existing silicate minerals under suitable geological conditions.

The small green areas visible within this specimen have been supplied as chlorite. Their appearance is compatible with green secondary mineralisation, but photographic examination alone cannot confirm a specific chlorite-group mineral.

The combination of quartz, iron-rich colouration and possible chlorite illustrates how multiple geological processes can influence the appearance of a single natural mineral specimen.

Rostowrack China Clay Pit & Cornish Heritage

Rostowrack China Clay Pit is situated at Hendra Downs, near St Dennis, within the historically important St Austell granite district of Cornwall.

The St Austell granite is particularly significant for its extensive deposits of kaolin, commonly known as china clay, which developed through the alteration of feldspar-bearing granite.

China clay extraction became one of Cornwall's most important mineral industries, supplying materials used in ceramics, paper manufacturing and other industrial applications.

Unlike the county's famous tin and copper mines, china clay workings concentrated on extracting kaolin from altered granite deposits.

However, the geological processes affecting these granites also produced mineralised fractures, quartz veins and a range of associated mineral occurrences.

Rostowrack has been examined in published geological investigations because its workings exposed important features of the western St Austell granite.

In January 1995, geologists C. M. Bristow and J. H. Howe conducted a field excursion examining geological exposures in the Fal Valley and surrounding china clay workings.

Their published account describes Rostowrack China Stone Quarry and China Clay Pit, including kaolinised granite and a prominent quartz vein extending through the altered rock.

Further geological documentation published for EUROGRANITES 2014 describes Rostowrack as an exposure of topaz-bearing granite with structurally controlled kaolinisation.

Of particular mineralogical interest, the field guide records a large, multistage quartz-hematite vein at Rostowrack, demonstrating the association of silica mineralisation and iron oxides at the locality.

The guide also documents fluorite-related alteration within the granite.

Mineralogical locality records list quartz, hematite, fluorite, kaolinite, cassiterite and other minerals from Rostowrack, reflecting the complex geological history of the workings.

Although quartz and hematite are documented at the locality, the green mineralisation supplied as chlorite in this individual specimen has not been independently confirmed by laboratory analysis or established from the consulted locality records.

Rostowrack also forms part of Cornwall's wider china stone heritage. China stone, a feldspar-bearing granitic material, historically played an important role in porcelain manufacture alongside china clay.

The Wheal Martyn Trust preserves and interprets this industrial history, including material from Rostowrack and the surrounding St Austell district.

Specimens attributed to Rostowrack therefore provide an interesting connection between Cornwall's granite geology, historic china clay extraction and natural mineral crystallisation.

Intention & Associated Chakras

In traditional crystal healing practices, these minerals are associated with complementary symbolic qualities:

• Milky Quartz: Calm, clarity, emotional balance and gentle reflection.
• Hematoid Quartz: Grounding, confidence, focus and emotional stability.
• Chlorite: Renewal, personal growth, connection to nature and emotional restoration.

Associated Chakras: Root Chakra, Heart Chakra and Crown Chakra.

Intention: Calm, Protection and Spiritual Growth.

These associations belong to crystal healing traditions and are not scientifically established properties of the minerals.

Natural Formation & Symbolism

As a naturally formed raw mineral specimen, this piece retains its irregular crystalline structure, exposed quartz surfaces and subtle variations in mineral colouration.

The combination of soft peach-pink quartz, creamy white crystalline growth and small green mineralised areas creates a particularly delicate and earthy appearance.

Its natural crystal faces and uneven formation reflect the geological conditions under which the quartz developed.

Raw mineral formations are traditionally associated with authenticity, connection to the natural world and appreciation of the Earth's geological processes.

The contrasting colours can also be interpreted symbolically as a balance between grounding, gentle renewal and clarity.

Specimen Details

• Minerals: Milky Hematoid Quartz with supplied Chlorite identification
• Primary Mineral: Quartz (SiO₂)
• Associated Mineralisation: Iron-rich staining and possible chlorite-group material
• Mine: Rostowrack China Clay Pit
• Locality: Hendra Downs, St Dennis, Cornwall, England
• Weight: 230g
• Measurements: 60.3mm × 60.6mm
• Quartz Crystal System: Trigonal
• Quartz Mohs Hardness: 7
• Formation: Natural raw quartz specimen with intergrown crystals and mineral staining
• Colour: Milky white, champagne, pale peach, blush pink, rusty orange and olive green
• Finish: Natural, unpolished
• Condition: Natural crystalline surfaces, irregular edges, mineral staining and visible inclusions
• Quantity: One individual specimen

You will receive the exact specimen photographed. Natural mineral specimens may contain fractures, uneven surfaces, delicate crystals, inclusions and variations resulting from their geological formation.

Wooden display plinth and decorative flowers shown in the photographs are not included.

Sources & References

The following resources document the geology, recorded mineral occurrences and industrial heritage of Rostowrack China Clay Pit and the surrounding St Austell granite district:

1. Mindat – Rostowrack China Clay Pit, Cornwall. Mineral locality database documenting the location and recorded mineral occurrences, including quartz, hematite, fluorite and kaolinite.
2. Bristow & Howe (1995) – Field Excursion to the Fal Valley, Western St Austell Granite. Original geological field account describing Rostowrack, altered granite and quartz vein mineralisation.
3. EUROGRANITES 2014 – Granites and Mineralisation of South West England. Geological field guide documenting Rostowrack's kaolinised granite, multistage quartz-hematite vein and fluorite alteration.
4. Wheal Martyn Trust – China Stone, Rostowrack China Clay Pit. Museum resource documenting china stone from Rostowrack and its importance in Cornwall's porcelain and china clay industries.

Historical and geological references relate to the recorded Rostowrack locality and do not independently establish the provenance of this individual specimen. The locality and mineral names are based on supplied collection information. The identification of the green material as chlorite, and the precise mineral responsible for the hematoid colouring, have not been independently laboratory verified.