Smoky Quartz Crystals

Smoky quartz is a variety of quartz. It is characterized by quartz with coloring from light wispy greys to browns and black. We like cluster specimens so the natural radiation can be seen in varying degrees of color change on the specimens. Smoky Quartz has a few well known varieties.

Cairngorm is a variety that comes from the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.
Morion is a very dark black opaque variety of Smoky quartz.
Coon tail Quartz is a Smoky quartz with an alternating black and gray banding.
A Gwindel is a Smoky quartz cluster of nearly parallel crystals, each rotated slightly relative to the one beside it.

The color of Smoky quartz is variable from brown to black and sometimes Smoky gray colored specimens are included as Smoky quartz. The cause of the color of Smoky quartz has been debated but it is believed that the coloration is almost certainly related to the amount of exposure to radiation that the stone has undergone. Natural Smoky quartz often occurs in granitic rocks which have a small amount of radioactivity over a long period of time. Most Smoky quartz that is sent to gem cutters for making jewelry has been artificially irradiated to produce a solid dark black color. Much of the Smoky quartz from China is also artificially radiated. Nice specimens come from Brazil and some larger specimens come from Northern Nevada. Black Quartz is often referred to as Irradiated Quartz.

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Item # SQ08102632

Rare Old Stock Goethite and Smoky Quartz crystals in drusy Calcite vug from Knoxville, Iowa

$49.00

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Excellent medium cabinet display specimen of Goethite crystals and large Smoky Quartz crystals nestled in one of the several drusy calcite vugs on this limestone matrix. A couple of the other vugs have a few Goethite crystals as well. This is a very rare specimen from the Pella Beds Stone Quarrys, Marion County, Knoxville, Iowa. This unique specimen is ex Michel Papcun collection (1955), ex James Smedley Collection (1955 to 2010) Chris Edwards Collection 2010 to..

We obtained this rare specimen from Jim Smedley's daughter Jeanne in 2010 while the Mineral Museum inventory was being liquidated. We were lucky to procure several nice pieces from her before the collection was gone.

This specimen measures 4.1 x 4 x 3.4" (106 x 103 x 88mm) weighs 33.6 oz or 2.1 lbs (953g)

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DIAMOND HILL PROSPECT

As seen in
Jan/Feb 2009 Issue of Rock & Minerals
May 2006 Issue of Rock & Gem

Diamond Hill is located in upper part of South Carolina. The Diamond Mine, LLC, owns the Diamond Hill quartz digging area near the town of Antreville in Abbeville County, South Carolina. Over millions of years, natural erosion has occurred to the southern part of the Appalachian Mountains. This erosion exposed a small 3 acre site that contains some of the widest variety of quartz crystals in the world. This area is known as Diamond Hill

Some of the best Amethyst, Smoky Quartz, Skeletal (Elestial) Quartz, Angle Plated Quartz, Iron Oxide coated Quartz (Brown / Orange / Yellow coloring), Manganese coated Quartz (Black coloring), Aura, and other crystals are found in the Diamond Hill Prospect area. Specimens from this area are in high demand and the supply is very limited.

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Item # SQ01171892

Smoky Quartz Crystal Cluster from Brazil

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Very nice Black Smoky Quartz piece from Brazil. This one has interesting skeletal like formations, displays in excellent positions to show off its crystal points! The white background is snow...we prefer to take photos outdoors in natural light.

weighs 13.4 oz or 0.84 lb (381g) and measures 4.1 x 2.9 x 2.5" (10.4 x 7.5 x 6.5cm)