Green Phantom Quartz

A phantom forms when minerals settle on a growing crystal for a time and are later enclosed as growth resumes; repeated episodes produce stacked phantoms (The Quartz Page). Chlorite forms at low to moderate temperatures, and in alpine-type fissures it often settles on quartz crystals that began growing at higher temperatures. The Quartz Page illustrates green chlorite phantoms in quartz from Minas Gerais, Brazil, and from Greece and Norway; the retailer Pascle gives Madagascar as the main source of its material.

In a true phantom the inner "ghost" crystal has the same axis as its host. GIA (Gems & Gemology, 2020) described imitation phantom quartz made by laser engraving natural rock crystal: the "phantom" consisted of regular networks of tiny cracks, its orientation did not match the crystal's optic axis in a polariscope, and the cracks seemed to reduce the stone's toughness; such imitations are readily identified with a microscope and polariscope. Mindat notes that a sharp change in colour or opacity can also look like a phantom without any mineral layer. Green colour alone does not identify the mineral: the retailer Pascle names chlorite or fuchsite as the possible causes.

IGS lists no special care instructions for quartz. The retailer Pascle advises not leaving it wet and wiping it gently with a soft cloth when dirty.

The retailer Pascle says phantom quartz is regarded as a symbol of growth, progress and improvement because it records the history of the crystal's growth, and that green phantom quartz in particular is associated with healing, work and business success. These are retailer beliefs, not verified properties.