dreamlike slightly smoky large rock crystal smoky quartz triplet crystal

A large, slightly smoky rock crystal-smoky quartz triple crystal from Zimbabwe. Three quartz columns have grown together during crystallization, twinned according to crystallographic laws, with a mixed coloration between clear rock crystal and slightly smoky quartz-colored areas.

Rock crystal and smoky quartz are both varieties of quartz and differ only in their trace element configuration. An alternating coloration between the two phases documents oscillating solution chemistry during crystallization: at times the solution contained aluminum (smoky quartz), at times it was pure (rock crystal).

Triple crystals are a rare twinning variant in which three crystals share their growth axes. For a 51 cm specimen, this is a collector's sensation: such large twinned aggregates rarely remain undamaged during recovery.

Zimbabwe supplies clear quartz material from pegmatite deposits in the extension of the Karoo Basin. Premium triple crystals of this size are classified as top gemmological specimens in the collector's trade.

A collector's item with crystallographic sensation and mixed coloration.