Quartz, var. Smoky Quartz, Epididymite
Posted by: macadmin on 04.22.2020 | Filed under:

Quartz, var. Smoky Quartz, Epididymite

Specimen # 101937
Mineral: Quartz, var. Smoky Quartz
Location: Mount Malosa, Zomba District, Malawi
Size: 8.2 x 7.5 x 5.7 cm
Specimen # 101937
Mineral: Quartz, var. Smoky Quartz
Location: Mount Malosa, Zomba District, Malawi
Size: 8.2 x 7.5 x 5.7 cm

Description

This this is beautiful pair of smoky quartz crystals on albite. The crystals are sharp, translucent with nice lustre, and a rich smoky colour. Included within the smoky quartz crystals are fine needle-like crystals of epididymite – these are easily visible under good light and without magnification, near the termination of each of the smoky quartz crystals. In excellent condition, no damage, except with magnification I can find an edge chip on the smaller quartz (but I do need magnification), and the specimen was removed from surrounding rock below, so the smoky quartz at right is singly-terminated. There is a third smaller quartz crystal at the left which is incomplete, and where the termination was, there is an etch pattern visible at one angle when rotated under the light, so this crystal was incomplete before the crystallization processes were done. The albite fluoresces a deep pink-red under shortwave ultraviolet light, as shown in the last photo.

This is an excellent, aesthetic smoky quartz with subtle internal epididymite accents.


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