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.