Gemstone encyclopedia
Rock Crystal — meaning, history and vintage jewelry
Rock crystal is colorless, transparent quartz, at 7 on the Mohs scale. It has been carved into seals, beads and vessels since antiquity, and it plays two distinct roles in period jewelry: as clear faceted stones and beads, and as the frosted or carved panels that Art Deco designers used to frame diamonds. Before modern synthetics it was also the standard rock crystal cover over hair and miniatures in Georgian mourning jewelry.
What rock crystal is
Faceted rock crystal was never a diamond substitute of any prestige, but frosted or carved rock crystal is central to 1920s design, where a milky panel with a diamond set motif on top creates depth no other material gives.
Georgian and Victorian sentimental jewelry uses thin polished rock crystal covers over woven hair, sepia miniatures and mottos, sometimes with a faceted or domed top that magnifies what sits beneath.
Color and hardness
- Species
- Quartz, colorless variety
- Color
- Colorless and transparent
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- What that means in wear
- Durable, and easy to repolish if the surface dulls after long wear.
How to care for rock crystal
- Warm soapy water and a soft brush for solid stones.
- Never immerse a Georgian crystal covered locket or ring; water behind the crystal will destroy the hairwork or miniature underneath.
- Avoid ultrasonic cleaning on any assembled or glued panel.
Our full house rules, including what the one year warranty does and does not cover, are in the care & warranty guide.
History and symbolism
Carved by Roman, Byzantine and Renaissance workshops. Its jewelry high point is Art Deco, where Cartier and its contemporaries used frosted rock crystal plaques as a structural element.
Clarity and light. In sentimental jewelry it is literally the window onto a memento.
Rock Crystal in vintage and antique jewelry
Georgian and Victorian mourning and sentimental pieces under crystal covers; Art Deco brooches, bracelets and clocks with frosted panels; mid century faceted crystal bead necklaces.
Shop this stone
Rock Crystal pieces in our collection
Every curated vintage, antique and estate piece is one of a kind and checked by our jewelry specialists in the Netherlands. If nothing is right today, we will look for it.
Frequently asked questions
- Is rock crystal valuable?
- The material is inexpensive. The value in an antique rock crystal piece is in the carving, the period design, or what the crystal protects, such as a hairwork memorial.
- Why must I keep a crystal covered mourning ring dry?
- Water gets behind the crystal by capillary action and stains or destroys the hairwork and painted miniature, which cannot be replaced.
More stones
See all gemstones