Specifications
Beschreibung
Locality: Baia Mare mining district, Maramureș County, Romania
Smoky quartz gets its colour from aluminium. In all smoky quartz a little aluminium takes the place of silicon, but the colour only appears once the crystal has been irradiated. Natural radiation over geological time removes an electron from an oxygen atom next to an aluminium ion, creating a colour centre that absorbs light and gives the typical smoky brown. With enough aluminium and intense radiation the quartz turns completely black, the variety called morion, and heating removes the colour.
The Baia Mare district lies in the Gutâi Mountains of northern Romania, part of the volcanic arc on the inner side of the Carpathians. Volcanic activity built these mountains between about 15.4 and 7 million years ago, and the hydrothermal fluids linked to it left hundreds of gold-silver and lead-zinc veins. The Main Vein of the Baia Sprie mine, 8 km long, is the longest ore vein in Europe.
Mining around Baia Mare is documented with certainty from the 13th and 14th centuries, and the late 15th century brought a first boom in gold and silver mining. More than 20 mines were still working the district's veins until 2007, and two of its deposits, Cavnic and Baia Sprie, are classed as world-class.
This one of a kind Smokey Quartz specimen from Romania features a dense, sculptural cluster of smoky brown Quartz crystals with scattered brassy Pyrite accents. The specimen has a dramatic, mound-like form, with dozens of intergrown prismatic points rising from the matrix in varied sizes. Many of the crystals show natural smoky translucency, earthy gray-brown zoning, and slightly frosted surfaces, while bright metallic Pyrite flecks create small golden flashes throughout the piece. Its richly textured surface and balanced display shape make it an eye-catching cabinet specimen.
Smokey Quartz is a dark variety of Quartz, colored by natural radiation interacting with trace aluminum within the crystal structure over long periods of geological time. Quartz has been admired for thousands of years and has been used in carving, ornamentation, tools, and later scientific applications due to its durability and piezoelectric properties. Romanian Smokey Quartz specimens are often associated with the historic mining regions of Maramures and the Carpathian Mountains, where Quartz formed in hydrothermal veins alongside sulfide minerals such as Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, and other metallic ores.
In crystal traditions, smoky quartz is associated with grounding and protection, and pyrite with confidence and motivation.
Chemical Composition: SiO2
Quantity: 1pc
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.