Specifications
Description
Locality: Baia Mare mining district, Maramureș County, Romania
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.
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.
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 Calcite on Smokey Quartz specimen from Romania features a dense, sculptural cluster of smoky gray to brown Quartz crystals with sharp natural terminations and a glassy, reflective luster. The crystals form a rounded, dimensional mound with many intergrown points, ranging from small tightly packed crystals to larger, more prominent terminations across the surface. Creamy white Calcite appears in sparkling clustered patches throughout the specimen, adding bright contrast against the darker Quartz. Small brassy metallic flecks are also visible in select areas, giving the piece a classic Romanian hydrothermal mineral character and extra visual depth.
Smokey Quartz is a naturally dark variety of Quartz, with its smoky coloration caused by natural irradiation and trace aluminum within the crystal structure. Quartz has been valued since antiquity for tools, ornamentation, and mineral collecting, while Romanian Quartz specimens are especially associated with historic mining regions such as Maramures and the Baia Mare district. Calcite is one of the most widespread carbonate minerals and is known for its wide variety of crystal forms, often appearing as an attractive secondary mineral on Quartz in hydrothermal vein deposits.
In crystal traditions, smoky quartz is associated with grounding and protection, and calcite with cleansing and clarity.
Chemical Composition: Calcite: CaCO3, Quartz: SiO2
Quantity: 1pc
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.