Smoky Quartz (large doubly-terminated crystal) (ex Geary Murdock Collection)

Item Description

One rarely sees any specimens from the famous Little Three Mine in Ramona these days, as nothing has been found in decades. This might be the largest individual Smoky Quartz crystal that we've seen from this famous mine best known for its fantastic orange Spessartine Garnet crystals. The piece is an impessive, euhedral, sharp, well-formed hexagonal prism with excellent gemminess and a medium smoky color. It's hard to tell from the photos, but the crystal is nearly water clear in the center. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the piece is the fact that it's doubly-terminated showing a single pyramidal termination on one end, and multiple stepped terminations on the other end. The crystal is complete most of the way around, though there is a separation mark on the back where it grew against another Quartz crystal. A few minor nicks can be seen, but it's more than forgivable for the impressive size and quality of the specimen. This space is somewhat partially recrystallized, but it's not 100% complete. With that said, this is still a very impressive, large and significant specimen that would make a superb addition to any California or San Diego County collection. Valued at $1,450 in the inventory. From the worldwide collection of noted Idaho collector Geary Murdock. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36634006/geary-jack-murdock