Quartz (''Solution Quartz'')

Item Description

A wonderful older specimen of the so-called "solution Quartz" from the Jeffrey Quarry in Arkansas. Unlike the crystals from Montgomery County or Hot Spring County, the Jeffrey pieces have a distinctive appearance with slender intergrown crystals in almost "jackstraw"-esque formations, and no matrix. These particular specimens are said to be the best of their type. The unlikely-looking floater status of these delicate groups thus reflects the fact they were in solution rather than deposited onto rock. This specimen is a particularly lovely cluster of solution Quartz with very sharp, lustrous faces and excellent water-clear clarity. The largest individual crystal measures 1.7 cm. Complete all around. Classic US material, hard to find. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974.