Smoky Quartz (doubly-terminated GEM "Morion") (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

One of the classics from Colorado. The Smoky Quartz crystals from the Pikes Peak Batholith are among the best quality examples of Smoky Quartz from any US locality. They range from a very light hue to nearly black, and the best crystal are incredibly well-formed, lustrous and GEMMY. This very dark (nearly black) "Morion" crystal group features a pair of a very sharp, lustrous hexagonal prisms which actually are intergrown at the termination and essentially come together at the top to create the appearance of a single crystal. What's more, the piece is actually doubly-terminated as there are several smaller pyramidal terminations on the base of the piece, but my favorite aspect is that when strongly backlit, the piece is virtually 100% WATER CLEAR! The crystals may look back in reflected light, but in transmitted light, they show a deep cognac hue. Minor attached feldspar near the base is a nice touch. The only real damage I can see is a nick on the main termination, otherwise it's in great shape. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#5355). Please note that the label accompanying this specimen states that it is from "St. George", but this is actually a common mistake that I've seen on lots of labels over the years. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).