Smoky Quartz with Chlorite - image 1
Smoky Quartz with Chlorite - image 2
specimen video

Smoky Quartz with Chlorite

$2,000.00

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Crystal Classics
Crystal ClassicsFeatured
Tucson, Arizona, USA
7,543 for sale·132 sold
This fine large cabinet Quartz var. Smoky, with Chlorite inclusions, comes from the famous Cavradi Gorge, Curnera Valley, Tujetsch, Grischun, Switzerland, where a concentration of Alpine-type fissure veins occur within the tall cliffs. Forming a natural bed of crystals, the specimen is dominated by two quite large (over 6.5 cm in length) opposing, gently sloping stocky pyramidally-terminated crystals with opaque inclusion-rich terminations and more transparent, glassy, brown smoky prism bodies. This is a classic Alpine Quartz which sits nicely for display and, other than around the base of the specimen (where it was extracted) it is in fine condition. The style of the 'crossing' sloping Quartz crystals is typical Swiss alps. Ex Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021) collection.

Product details

Species
Quartz, ChloriteAbout Quartz →
SizeCabinet
Dimensions14.0 x 7.5 x 7.0 cm
Listed on05/10/2025
Locality
Switzerland, Grisons, Cavradi gorgeRegional guide →
SKUCC28189

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Quartz
Mineral guide
Learn about Quartz
a versatile mineral with clear, milky, and colored varieties; crystal forms, formation clues, and tips for identifying amethyst and citrine.
Quartz
Regional guide
Quartz from Cavradi Gorge, Switzerland
Cavradi quartz belongs to the great Alpine-cleft tradition of Switzerland, but it has a personality very much its own. The finest pieces are limpid rock crystal to pale cognac smoky quartz, often sharply terminated, glassy, striated, and attractively poised on gneiss or feldspar matrix. What sets the locality apart for serious collectors is not just quartz alone, but quartz in the Cavradi language: clear crystals carrying mirror-bright tabular hematite, red rutile, adularia, calcite, siderite, and, more rarely, gwindel or amethyst forms. A cabinet of Swiss Alpine quartz can look geographically anonymous until a good Cavradi piece appears; the combination of water-clear quartz, dark metallic hematite, and red rutile has a crisp, high-contrast look that is instantly memorable.