Quartz is a mineral that has many uses in different industries due to its abundance, crystalline nature, high thermal, and chemical properties. Here are some of the uses of quartz:

• Jewelry and gemstones: Quartz has been used for centuries in jewelry production and as gemstones. The hard, polishable, crystalline, and durable nature of quartz make it an excellent material for this purpose. The varieties of quartz popularly used as jewelry and gemstones include Citrine, Amethyst, Ametrine, rose quartz, Aventurine, and Opal.

• Glassmaking: Quartz sand is used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics due to its durability and large grains that minimize fracture. It is also used in the recreation of golf courses, volleyball courts, baseball fields, children’s sandbox, and beaches.

• Ceramic industry: Quartz sand is used in the ceramic industry for making ceramic tiles. The silica present in the sand helps in providing white color to the ceramic ware and helps in making the ceramic body.

• Foundry sand: Quartz is very resistant to both chemicals and heat, making it often used as a foundry sand. With a melting temperature higher than most metals, it can be used for the molds and cores of common foundry work. Refractory bricks are often made of quartz sand because of its high heat resistance. Quartz sand is also used as a flux in the smelting of metals.

• Abrasive material: The high hardness of quartz, seven on the Mohs Scale, makes it harder than most other natural substances. As such, it is an excellent abrasive material. Quartz sands and finely ground silica sand are used for sandblasting, scouring cleansers, grinding media, and grit for sanding and sawing.

• Filler: Quartz sand and ground quartz (quartz in powder state) are used as filler in the manufacture of adhesives, putty, paint, and rubber.

• Frequency control: Properly cut plates of quartz are used for frequency control in radios, televisions, and other electronic communications equipment and for crystal-controlled clocks and watches.

• Petroleum industry: Quartz sands are used for traction in the railroad and mining industries. These sands are also used in recreation on golf courses, volleyball courts, baseball fields, children’s sandboxes, and beaches. Screened and washed, carefully sized quartz grains are used as filter media and roofing granules.

• Building materials: Quartz-rich rocks like quartzite and quartz sandstone are often used as building stones, and some colored quartz varieties are used as ornamental and semi-precious stones. By volume, though, the bulk of all commercially mined quartz is used in the construction industry as aggregate for concrete and as sand in mortar and cement.

In summary, quartz is a versatile mineral that has many uses in different industries, including jewelry, glassmaking, ceramics, foundry sand, abrasive material, filler, frequency control, petroleum industry, and building materials.