Phantom Quartz
Quartz Phantoms preserve a remarkable record of a crystal’s former growth phases. One way in which phantoms form is when quartz growth is interrupted and the surfaces become textured, sometimes with minerals such as chlorite or others settling upon the crystal faces. As growth resumes, these surfaces are enveloped within new layers of quartz, leaving ghost-like outlines of the crystal and included minerals. Some specimens preserve several such stages, one within another—a visible record of change, renewal, and the passage of time written into the crystal structure.