What is Lemurian Quartz?

Lemurian Quartz, aka Lemurian Seed Crystals

Lemurian quartz crystals are highly sought after for their metaphysical healing properties. These crystals are believed to hold ancient spiritual knowledge linked to the mythical lost civilisation of Lemuria.

This type of quartz is often, but not always, characterised by striations on at least one crystal face.

Striations are fine parallel grooves or lines that form during the crystals' formation due to various geological processes.  

Lemurian quartz is found mainly in Brazil, but deposits also exist in Peru and Colombia. 

Lemurian quartz is a trade name for what is often a Tessin-habit (also known as Rauris-habit) quartz crystal. These crystals have a particular shape and often exhibit striations.

Lemuria is believed to be a lost continent that once existed in the Pacific Ocean. It's claimed to have been wiped out by a cataclysmic event that caused the island to sink.

The people of Lemuria are said to have used crystals for healing and clairvoyance. It's believed they predicted what was to come, so used crystals to store and preserve their knowledge and traditions.

The word 'trigon' describes tiny triangles that can be present on the crystal faces of Lemurian Quartz. The word was originally used to describe growth patterns on diamonds but is now used for similar growth features on the surface of some other minerals, particularly quartz.

When Lemurian Quartz started being used for its healing properties, the metaphysical community began referring to crystals with these patterns as 'record keepers.' 

Record keepers are believed to store and release information that has been programmed into them.

A crystal grows as atoms stack on top of each other in an organised, repeating pattern known as the crystal lattice. The trigons are areas where the crystal's growth was interrupted, hence a triangular-shaped depression or elevation was created on the face of the crystal.

The patterns would have covered the entire crystal face had it continued to grow undisturbed. Their visibility depends on their size and the specific growth conditions. They're often too small to be seen with the naked eye or may be obscured by other surface features.

   

The Mythical Continent of Lemuria

The history of the continent of Lemuria is very interesting.

It was first mentioned in 1864 by British lawyer and zoologist Philip Sclater. He was trying to establish why so many different species of lemur existed in Madagascar yet were found in limited numbers in other parts of the world.

In an article for a science journal, he claimed lemurs originated in Madagascar but spread to Africa and Asia using a land bridge or continent.

He said the continent, which he named 'Lemuria,' has since broken up into hundreds of smaller islands. Some, he claimed, are now part of Africa and Asia, while others have integrated with Madagascar and other islands in the Pacific Ocean.

In the "Geography of Mammals", published in 1899, Sclater wrote:

"This fact would seem to show that the ancient "Lemuria", as the hypothetical continent which was originally the home of the Lemurs has been termed, must have extended across the Indian Ocean and the Indian Peninsula to the further side of the Bay of Bengal and over the great islands of the Indian Archipelago."
In a popular book published in German in 1868, the author discussed how humans evolved from primates. Africa and Asia were mentioned, as was the possibility of an island that once existed between the two continents.

When the book was translated into English some years later, the continent of Lemuria was mentioned as possibly being the cradle of humanity.

He went on to say, "The probable primaeval home or "Paradise" is here assumed to be Lemuria, a tropical continent at present lying below the level of the Indian Ocean, the former existence of which in the tertiary period seems very probable from numerous facts in animal and vegetable geography.

But it is also very possible that the hypothetical "cradle of the human race" lay further to the east (in Hindostan or Further India) or further to the west (in eastern Africa)."

Books such as these led to a widespread belief in the existence of submerged islands and continents around the world.  

The lost continent of Lemuria was mentioned again in a book published in 1888. The author, a Russian medium, claimed Lemuria was the cradle of one of the seven races of humanity. 

It's not known how Lemurian Quartz, which has been found in just a few locations in South America, became associated with the continent of Lemuria.

'Lemurian Quartz' is a trade name that's not recognised by geologists. It was first discovered in Brazil in the early 1990s.

In crystal healing circles, the name 'Lemurian Seed Crystal' is also used, but some claim 'Seed Crystals' are slightly different from regular Lemurian Quartz. 

Although it's often said that striations must be present to confirm that a crystal is a Lemurian, not all Lemurian Quartz has them.

Unfortunately, a significant amount of geological-related information regarding crystals used for their healing properties is incorrect.

Regular quartz crystals with overinflated prices are sometimes sold as Lemurian Quartz.

Article Photos

The Lemurian Quartz crystal at the top of our article was once part of our collection.

The second photo is a close-up of a quartz crystal with growth triangles (trigons).

The next photo of Lemurian Quartz crystals is courtesy of Igor Schwartzmann. 

Pop-up photo: The pyrite (with striations) is courtesy of Stan Celestian.

The first photo is clickable and redirects to the original image.