On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural inorganic gem materials · Trade name: inclusion / visual-effect descriptor · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
Also known asGreen hair quartz (not to be used as a name) · Green rutilated quartz (conditional name)
A trade name for Quartz containing green needle-like inclusions; it is not a fixed mineral variety, and without identification the inclusions cannot be assumed to be Actinolite or Rutile. Also known as Green rutilated quartz. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Quartz with green needle-like inclusions forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- Treatments and enhancements of Quartz with green needle-like inclusionsThe enhancements and treatments the GB/T and JJA/AGL tables list
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Quartz with green needle-like inclusionsEach value with its source and check date
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Listing and disclosing Quartz with green needle-like inclusionsThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
'Green-hair quartz' refers to quartz hosting green needle- or hair-like mineral inclusions; it is quartz (SiO2), not a separate mineral. Its formation mechanism matches other 'hair' quartz: quartz grows inward from the walls of open cavities out of silica-rich fluid and traps coexisting needle minerals during growth; primary inclusions lie along growth layers and elongate along the growth direction, producing the 'hair' appearance, and the green colour should come from the inclusions themselves. Note: the cited authoritative sources do not identify the mineral species of green needle inclusions and barely mention green needle inclusions at all, so the inclusion identity behind 'green-hair quartz' must be tested case by case and must not be assumed.
Scope: Covers the mechanism by which acicular/hair-like inclusions are trapped during growth in natural quartz, and defines green hair crystal as a trade name for quartz coloured green by its inclusions; does not cover dyed, filled or coated green imitations.
Sources G&G Fall 2024 · G&G Spring 2017 · G&G Spring 1982
- Amethyst from Newfoundland, Canada: Geology, Internal Features, and Fluid Inclusion Microthermometry (Gems & Gemology, Fall 2024, Vol. 60, No. 3)
- Causes of Iridescence in Natural Quartz (Gems & Gemology, Spring 2017, Vol. 53, No. 1, Lin & Heaney)
- The Natural Formation and Occurrence of Green Quartz (Gems & Gemology, Spring 1982, Vol. 18, No. 1)
Where it forms
Open cavities/vugs where quartz grows inward from the walls out of silica-rich fluid and inclusions are trapped.
Sources G&G Spring 2017 · G&G Fall 2024
A quartz growth system coexisting with needle-forming minerals, whose needles are trapped by the quartz.
Sources G&G Fall 2024
General quartz deposition setting: cavities and vesicles where silica accumulates from migrating solutions.
Sources G&G Spring 1982 · G&G Spring 2017
How it forms, step by step
Silica-rich fluid enters a cavity/vug and quartz crystallizes inward from the wall.
Needle-like minerals coexisting with the quartz form in the growth system (their identity requires separate testing).
During growth the quartz traps the needles, and primary inclusions lie along growth layers and elongate along the growth direction.
The orientation and density of the green inclusions govern the 'green hair' appearance and colour depth.
Link to appearance
The orientation and density of the green needle inclusions determine the 'hair' appearance and depth of green; contrast with the quartz host makes them visible in transmitted light as green hair-like strands.
Sources G&G Fall 2024
Timescale
The sources give no absolute age or duration for quartz or inclusion growth.
Sources G&G Fall 2024 · G&G Spring 2017
Related base materials
- Quartz (SiO2): inclusion-variety-of | Quartz with green needle-like inclusions is quartz containing green needle-like/hair-like mineral inclusions
Supporting findings
During crystal growth, quartz captures primary inclusions that tend to lie along growth layers and stretch parallel to the growth direction, which gives them their needle-like 'hair' look.
Evidence grade AScope: The source is an amethyst (quartz variety) case; the trapping mechanism is analogous to quartz with needle inclusions but is not specific to green-hair quartz.
Inclusion-bearing quartz crystals commonly grow inward from the walls of open vugs out of silica-rich fluid, forming druses.
Evidence grade AScope: The source is a quartz druse in Deccan Trap basalt vugs, India; a general quartz occurrence setting.
Silica delivered by migrating solutions can accumulate slowly inside cavities and vesicles, depositing the quartz to which green-hair quartz belongs.
Evidence grade AScope: The source also discusses the formation of green quartz (green body colour), which is a body colour rather than green inclusions; only the silica-deposition mechanism is used here.
Other research findings
'Green-hair quartz' is quartz (SiO2) hosting green needle/hair-like inclusions, a trade name rather than a separate mineral; the green colour should come from the inclusions rather than a lattice colour centre (this is inferred from the definition of hair quartz; the sources do not directly identify green inclusions).
Evidence grade CScope: The sources do not identify the mineral species of green needle inclusions and do not use the name 'green-hair quartz'; this boundary is organized from the hair-quartz definition.
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- The cited authoritative sources do not identify the mineral species of green needle inclusions and barely mention green needle inclusions; the inclusion identity of green-hair quartz requires testing.
- 'Green quartz' in the sources refers to a green body colour of quartz (linked to radiation and iron), which is not the same as the green inclusions of green-hair quartz and must not be conflated.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
GB/T 16552—2017 5.1.1 c)
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments recorded for this material: Heated / Heat-treated (via parent material), Irradiated (via parent material), Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material), Coated (via parent material)
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Quartz with green needle-like inclusions" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Quartz with green needle-like inclusions" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
- Suggested listing name
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
Care and wear
No care facts are recorded for this entry itself. Its parent material has care records: see Quartz.
Treatments and identification leads
One row per treatment, with three standards side by side: how often it occurs and how stable it is (CIBJO), its category in GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (this site's paraphrase) and how the JJA/AGL 2025 table lists it. Each CIBJO value links to its entry under “Testing and market”, where the wording and source are given in full.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Market frequency (CIBJO) | Stability (CIBJO) | GB/T 16552 category | JJA/AGL listing | Identification leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating | — | — | Optimization | — | — |
| Irradiation | — | — | Optimization | — | — |
| Filling | — | — | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 | — | — |
| Dyeing | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
| Coating | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
“—” means the cited source gives no value for that item, not “none”. Source: GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (row for Rock Crystal)
Whether a treatment has to show in the name differs between the two rule sets (this site’s paraphrase):
- GB/T 16552—2017: a method classed as treatment has to be stated in the name itself — the method put before the name, or added in brackets after it; a method classed as optimization does not need to appear in the name, though one marked “Optimization (annotation required)” still has to be noted in the quality documents. Source: §5.4.2.1 a), b); §5.4.2.2 a)
- CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022: no longer splits treatments into ones that need specific disclosure and ones that need only general disclosure: every treatment is to be disclosed, and the seller tells the buyer which treatment was used and what special care it calls for. Source: §4.2.5 Note 2, §4.2.5.1, pp.14–15
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
For Quartz with green needle-like inclusions, "Green rutilated quartz" is recorded with no restriction on use as a name, while "Green hair quartz" must not be used as a name (CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 §4.2.4.4; CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 §7.2.1.203; GB/T 16552—2017 §5.1.1 c)).
Standard and listing namesThe GB/T naming counterpart for Quartz with green needle-like inclusions is Hair crystal (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1; the name itself is not listed in the standard), and the suggested listing name is Quartz with green needle-like inclusions. Trade and mineralogical namesThe Chinese name is a trade name, not a mineral species name; the mineralogical description is quartz containing green needle-like inclusions, with the type of inclusion requiring testing. Names in four languagesThe four-language names are the Simplified and Traditional Chinese names, the English name Quartz with green needle-like inclusions and a Japanese name meaning actinolite in quartz. Institution usageThe wording of GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A for this name is all unchecked, as is the GSJ (Japan) formal-name wording; the names shown are the entry's own English and Japanese names and do not represent the position of those bodies. Sub-names and unacceptable namesAmong trade names and synonyms, Green rutilated quartz is used only once the inclusions are confirmed as rutile, and Green hair quartz is a coined literal translation, a search term only, recorded as a name not to be used.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (1) | ||||
| Green rutilated quartzEnglish | market name | matched only once the condition is confirmed | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
| not to be used as a name (1) | ||||
| Green hair quartzEnglish | market name | matched automatically | not to be used as a name | CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 4.2.4.4; CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 §7.2.1.203; GB/T 16552—2017 5.1.1 c); Note: LumaLark’s own literal translation; kept for search only. |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- アクチノライト・イン・クォーツ (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- GB/T naming counterpart (this name is not in the standard)
- 发晶 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1)
- Mineralogical name
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions; inclusion species requires testing
- Trade names and synonyms
- Green rutilated quartz (market name; conditional name)Not to be used as a name: Green hair quartz (market name)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 绿发晶
- 繁體中文
- 綠髮晶
- English
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
- 日本語
- アクチノライト・イン・クォーツ
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Quartz and chalcedony materials
- Identity tier
- Trade name: inclusion / visual-effect descriptor
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments listed by standards
The treatment categories for Quartz with green needle-like inclusions are based on Table B.1 in Annex B of GB/T 16552—2017; this site applies the Rock Crystal row of Table B.1, as the standard itself has no separate row for this material. Under the Rock Crystal row, heating is in the category optimization, irradiation optimization, filling is to be defined by grade, dyeing treatment and coating treatment; the full content, including effects, is on the Rock Crystal entry. For what Table B.1 is and how the grades for filling are defined, see the Gem treatments page.
GB/T 16552-2017, Annex B, Table B.1
Under the “Rock Crystal” row of Table B.1: Heating Optimization; Irradiation Optimization; Filling Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1; Dyeing Treatment; Coating Treatment. The full row, with the effect column, is on the Rock Crystal page.
What Table B.1 is, and how the “see 5.4.1” grades are defined: see the GB/T 16552: optimization vs treatment page.
What it is and how it's identified
Among the registered material facts for Quartz with green needle-like inclusions, the structure, durability, physical and optical items are all category values written in the cited clauses for rock crystal (the whole category), not measured on this material alone. For rock crystal as a whole category, it is crystalline and trigonal, with hexagonal prismatic crystals and distinct horizontal striations on the prism faces; Mohs hardness 7, no cleavage. The density registered for rock crystal as a whole category is 2.64–2.69 g/cm³, derived from the cited clause value of 2.66 with an allowed deviation of +0.03/−0.02. For rock crystal as a whole category, it is optically anisotropic, uniaxial and positive, possibly showing a bull's-eye interference figure; refractive index 1.544–1.553, birefringence 0.009. For rock crystal as a whole category, untreated material shows weak pleochroism varying with colour and a vitreous lustre; a cat's-eye effect may be seen, and a star effect may be seen, six-rayed, mostly in rose quartz. Chemical composition, fluorescence, UV-Vis spectrum, infrared spectrum and magnification are written in the cited clauses for rock crystal (the whole category) in the rock crystal entry.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Chemical composition, luminescence, UV-visible spectrum, infrared spectrum, magnification: these whole-class features are given in the cited clause for rock crystal (the whole class), so they are not repeated on the Quartz with green needle-like inclusions page; see the material facts on the Rock Crystal entry.
Items below that name the class they cover give the cited clause’s value for that whole class, not a measurement of Quartz with green needle-like inclusions (how to read class-level values).
Structure
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — structure (overall): crystalline
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — structure (crystal system): trigonal
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — structure (crystal habit): hexagonal prisms with prominent horizontal striations on the prism faces
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Durability
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — Mohs hardness: 7
GB/T 16553—2017
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — cleavage: none
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Physical properties
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — density: 2.64–2.69 g/cm³
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
- Qualification
The clause we cite gives 2.66, with a stated tolerance of +0.03 / -0.02. The range shown here is worked out from that.
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Optical
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — optic character: anisotropic material, uniaxial, with positive optic character; a “Bull's eye” interference figure may be present, and Brazil-law twinning is common in amethyst.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — refractive index: 1.544–1.553
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — birefringence: 0.009
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — pleochroism: weak; it depends on the body colour.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — optical effect (chatoyancy): seen
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — optical effect (asterism): seen; a six-rayed star, common in rose quartz.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
- CIBJO definitions
- chatoyancy, asterism
Quality factors
Quartz with green needle-like inclusions — quality factor (lustre): vitreous
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
This material (RI / SG midpoints): 1.548 / 2.67; Closest values: 1Agate 1.537 / 2.63, 2Shoushan Stone 1.56 / 2.7, 3Changhua Stone 1.56 / 2.6, 4Bamboo Coral 1.57 / 2.65, 5Synthetic Beryl 1.57 / 2.69
Show the full chart (330 registered materials)
Outside the full chart's range, drawn as triangles at the edge (RI / SG midpoints): Hematite 3.045/5.12, Synthetic Rutile 2.76/4.26, Rutile 2.753/4.23, Synthetic Moissanite 2.67/3.22
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
Related-entry tree for Quartz on this site: 74 entries listed by this site's parent-entry links; synthetic, treated and similar entries carry their recorded state after the name; this page (Quartz with green needle-like inclusions) is marked.
- Quartz
Sub-entries (57)
- Agate
Sub-entries (1)
- Amethyst
- Ametrine
- Aventurine Quartz
- Aventurine Quartz / Green Aventurine
- Banded Agate
- Black Agate
- Bloodstone / Heliotrope
- Blue Lace Agate
- Carnelian
- Chalcedony
Sub-entries (2)
- Chrysoprase
- Citrine
- Clear Quartz / Rock Crystal
- Coated Quartz
- Colourless to White Quartz (brand name: Azeztulite)
- Crazy Lace Agate
- Dendritic Agate
- Dyed Agate (Treated: dyed)
- Elestial Quartz / Skeletal Quartz
- Eye Agate
- Flower Agate / Cherry Blossom Agate
- Green Quartz
- High-clarity quartz with golden needle-like inclusions
- Included Quartz
- Jasper
Sub-entries (1)
- Madeira Citrine
- Malachite Agate
- Morion / very dark Smoky Quartz
- Moss Agate
- Moss Chalcedony
- Multi-inclusion Quartz
- Onyx (banded chalcedony)
- Phantom Quartz
- Prase
- Prasiolite / Green Quartz
- Quartz Cat’s-eye
- Quartz claimed to be from the Himalayas
- Quartz Crystal
- Quartz with dark needle-like inclusions
- Quartz with fine fibrous inclusions
- Quartz with flower-like inclusions
- Quartz with golden needle-like inclusions
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
- Quartzite Jade
- Quartzose Jade
- Red Agate
- Rock Crystal
- Rose Quartz
- Rutilated Quartz
- Sard
- Sardonyx
- Silicified Asbestos
Sub-entries (2)
- Hawk’s Eye
- Tiger’s Eye
Sub-entries (1)
- Smoky Quartz
- Smoky Quartz (brown variety)
- Strawberry Quartz
- Yellow-green Quartz
- Agate
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Quartz and chalcedony materials | Live |
| Treatments recorded for this material | Heated / Heat-treated (via parent material), Irradiated (via parent material), Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material), Coated (via parent material) | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Quartz with green needle-like inclusions entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.