Judging quality
Look for transparency within the darkness — the finest smoky quartz reads deep brown against a light, never muddy or opaque. Irradiated commercial material is often uniformly black and lifeless.
Quartz
Smoky Quartz
Quartz darkened from grey to near-black by natural irradiation of aluminium impurities. Alpine smoky quartz from Swiss and Austrian clefts is among the most sought-after crystal in the world; Scottish cairngorm has been set into ceremonial dress for centuries.
Care
Water and soft cloth. Color is stable but can pale under intense heat.
History & lore
Cairngorm stones were traditionally set into the pommel of the Scottish sgian-dubh and into clan brooches.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Smoky Quartz
- What is Smoky Quartz?
- Quartz darkened from grey to near-black by natural irradiation of aluminium impurities. Alpine smoky quartz from Swiss and Austrian clefts is among the most sought-after crystal in the world; Scottish cairngorm has been set into ceremonial dress for centuries.
- How hard is Smoky Quartz and what is it made of?
- Smoky Quartz is a Quartz-family mineral with the composition SiO2. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in brown, grey, black.
- Where does Smoky Quartz come from?
- Notable localities for Smoky Quartz include Switzerland (Alps), Brazil, Scotland (Cairngorms), Colorado, USA.
- How do you tell good Smoky Quartz from filler?
- Look for transparency within the darkness — the finest smoky quartz reads deep brown against a light, never muddy or opaque. Irradiated commercial material is often uniformly black and lifeless.
- How do you care for Smoky Quartz?
- Water and soft cloth. Color is stable but can pale under intense heat.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.