Four Gemstone Shapes - Rose Quartz

• The four shapes sit together well. Each is palm-sized and polished smooth, cool to the touch and pleasant to hold.
• The pink runs from soft and cloudy to near-clear in places, with fine milky veining visible when held to the light.
• The heart is gently rounded, not sharply faceted. The sphere rolls easily. The obelisk stands upright on its flat base, and the pyramid sits square and stable.
• Rose quartz has a vitreous lustre when polished, a glassy surface sheen that gives each piece a quiet glow rather than a high shine.

Rose quartz is a variety of quartz coloured by trace amounts of titanium, iron or manganese, and sometimes microscopic inclusions of dumortierite. It forms in pegmatites and hydrothermal veins, where silicon dioxide crystallises slowly under heat and pressure deep in the earth's crust. The pink can range from barely there to a deeper rose, and this set shows that natural variation. Each piece is cut and tumble-polished in India, where lapidary work is a longstanding craft, and the finish is smooth enough to slip into a pocket without snagging fabric.

Quartz is a seven on the Mohs scale, hard enough not to scratch easily but still softer than sapphire or diamond. Dust them with a dry cloth; if they need a wash, lukewarm water and a little soap is fine, then dry them straight away. Rose quartz can fade if left in strong direct sunlight for months on end, so a shaded spot suits it better than a south-facing windowsill in summer.

Rose quartz has been carved and worn for thousands of years, with beads and seals dating back to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. In more recent tradition, it is often called the stone of the heart and is associated with gentleness, self-kindness and quiet care. Many people keep a piece on a bedside table or hold one during a moment of reflection, using the cool weight and soft colour as a small anchor for the attention. The different shapes suit different uses: a sphere rolls between the palms, a heart rests in the hand, an obelisk or pyramid stands as a focus on a desk or altar.

One heart, one sphere, one obelisk and one pyramid, each a different size and weight but all small enough to hold comfortably in one hand. They arrive together as a set.

It suits someone who is drawn to crystals but prefers understated colour, or someone beginning a collection and wanting a few forms of the same stone to compare. The set also makes a thoughtful gift for a birthday, a moment of care, or someone setting up a quiet corner at home.