Smoky Quartz var. GWINDEL

Unknown Owner

Help improve this recordNo owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.

Renowned for some of the world's finest Smoky Quartz crystals the European Alps specimens can produce the most visually dramatic of displays and the most complex of crystal forms. 'Gwindels' a flattened, tabular form of crystal, or group of parallel crystals which often show a slight twisting are by no means common, but are an iconic form for which the Swiss and French Alps are particularly well-known. Usually collected as loose crystals because of the fragile way in which they perch on matrix, this small cabinet-sized matrix-hosted display specimen even sits naturally for display. Its 'Gwindel' reaches 5.1 x 4.8 cm and is complete all-round and stands perfectly upright, with the richest of brown colour, and superb transparency. It rises up from a layer of smaller Smoky Quartz and Adularia-type Feldspar crystals. The crystal shows a really great, classic shape but on one side a groove runs down from top to bottom, showing a totally natural crystallized surface indicative of where another crystal grew alongside but slightly separate from this main crystal. There are two parallel scrapes into the top edge of the crystal presumably caused during extraction from its pocket, and a slight contact chip at one end of its termination, but it is from Schattig Wickel, a famous high altitude (3000 m) summit ridge locality known since the early 20th century and is extremely gemmy. Ex Hans Engelbrecht Collection, no. 5133, with his card label. It was acquired by him in 1998 from a collection in Eisleben. His number label affixed to the base of the specimen is still present but water damaged.