Quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon and oxygen atoms. It is the second most abundant mineral in Earth’s continental crust, behind feldspar. Quartz occurs in a variety of colors and forms, including clear, white, pink (rose quartz), purple (amethyst), brown (smoky quartz), and black (morion). It exhibits a glass-like luster and a conchoidal fracture, making it popular in jewelry and ornamentation. Due to its chemical stability and resistance to weathering, quartz is also widely used in various industrial applications, such as in the production of glass, ceramics, and electronics. Its piezoelectric properties, where it generates an electric charge under mechanical stress, make it useful in electronic devices like watches and radios.