Drusy

Drusy

Drusy, druse, druzy, drusies - different spellings, but they all mean tiny quartz crystals that form within or on the surface of other stones.

When ground water carrying dissolved silica is forced into a porous area of the rock, rapid cooling often occurs, causing the formation of tiny crystals on the surfaces or in cavities of the rock. The clear crystals often form on top of previously deposited minerals. This is called a drusy. Some minerals found in this form are chrysocolla, malachite, hematite, psilomelane, uvarovite, pyrite, carnelian and cobalto-calcite.

The image on the right is a collage of some stones in my collection and the image below it is a photo of a chunk of chrysocolla rough with a formation of drusy crystals in a crevice.

Titanium drusy is agate drusy that has been coated with titanium in a vacuum chamber. It produces a permanent metal coating in spectacular shades of bight, dark blue or an iridescent white.



Folklore, Legend, Healing Properties:

See specific base stones: chrysocolla, malachite, etc.