Ask GeoMan...
Where can I get some really great quartz crystals?
Quartz is a VERY common mineral, and is often found as veins cutting through all kinds of rock in most parts of the world. If there are any open spaces (called "vugs"), it can even occur in its regular hexagonal (6 sided) crystalline form. So, the trick is to find light colored to white quartz veins, and then look for vugs. If you're lucky, you'll find a crystal (or more likely, a cluster of points).
If you are looking to buy a specimen, most rock and mineral shops carry quartz in its "euhedral" (perfect) crystalline form. Many of these come from the mines and quarries near Hot Springs, Arkansas, where the best domestic quartz occurs. Click here for the Digging Crystals in Arkansas - general information and a listing of the mines and retail outlets in the Hot Springs area. Many of these mines will even let you into the quarries to search for your own crystals (for a fee, of course).
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