Aventurine (pronounced uh-ven-shur-ene)quartz is actually a rock, not a mineral. It is primarily composed of microcrystaline quartz, but has inclusions of muscovite mica, which give it its interesting shimmery effect. This effect is called aventurescence, and when I look at Aventurine, it reminds me of fused sugar granules. It is translucent, and most of the material on the market that I've seen has been pale to intense green. I have seen pictures of blue Aventurine and red Aventurine as well. Oftentimes people will confuse this stone with Jade.

This stone cuts nicely and produces nice stones with a high luster. Most of the green Aventurine on the market is currently being mined in India. I've been told that the only location which produces red Aventurine is in Canada.