Schorl

Unknown Owner

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A thick black lustrous terminated crystal of schorl. Some damage present as seen. Interesting locality example. The JV Claim Number 1, located in Gem County, Idaho, is a contemporary mineral locality noted for producing fine collector specimens of smoky quartz. Geologically, the claim sits within the expansive Cretaceous-age Idaho batholith, a massive granitic complex that has been subject to localized faulting, fracturing, and Eocene-age igneous intrusions. Pockets and miarolitic cavities within the coarse-grained pegmatitic phases of these granitic rocks provided an ideal environment for the growth of well-formed, lustrous, dark smoky quartz crystals and clusters. Unlike historical commercial mines in the nearby Pearl district that targeted base and precious metals starting in the late 1800s, the JV Claim Number 1 was staked and operated primarily as a modern, small-scale artisanal claim dedicated to specimen mineral recovery. Active digging and extraction have occurred during the early twenty-first century, with independent prospectors utilizing manual methods and lightweight equipment to systematically document and harvest crystals from newly exposed pockets well into the 2020s.