Quartz (var. smoky)

This smoky quartz crystal from the Grant Quarry in Greely, Ontario displays the classic Herkimer-style habit for which the locality is known. The crystal is intensely glassy and lustrous, with striking internal detail created by parallel-growth clay inclusions. Portions of the crystal show partial skeletal, or hoppered, development. The back of the crystal exhibits a contact where it was once attached to a larger quartz mass, though this does little to detract from its strong frontal presentation.

The Grant Quarry lies within the Beekmantown Formation, a widespread geological unit renowned for producing Herkimer-style quartz and calcite specimens. This formation extends from Saratoga Springs and Herkimer, New York, through Saint-Clotilde and Saint-Eustache in Québec, and into eastern Ontario. Material from these localities has become increasingly uncommon, making specimens such as this representative of classic Eastern North American quartz.

Ex Peter Tarassoff Collection. Gift from Jonathan Levinger to Peter Tarassoff.