Quartz var: Smoky ("Japan-Twin") (Mined: 1982)

Item Description

A classic example of these distinctive and honestly rare Smoky Quartz specimens from the Tiro Estrella Mine in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. What makes them so distinctive is that these Smoky Quartz crystals often formed in "Japan-Law" twins, and while that's not a rare twinning habit for Quartz, it's honestly quite rare to see in SMOKY Quartz. This piece was mined at some point between January and April of 1982 (possibly by Dick Jones), and is a fine quality example featuring rather lustrous, sharp, well-formed faces with a rich smoky color and fine internal gemminess when backlit. The twin is heavy to one side, creating an aesthetic disproportion. I can actually get the piece to sit up on its own on a flat surface, but it's not completely stable, so it should be safely mounted in order to keep it from falling over. I can see one small separation mark on the larger half of the twin, along with some embedded white Albite, but overall the piece is in very good shape. A beautiful "toenail"-sized piece of this classic, and truly iconic material.