About Smoky Quartz

Smoky quartz is brown to black quartz. Even though smoky quartz is found worldwide, some of it on the market is irradiated rock crystal and this tends to be very dark. When it is from the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland, it is called Cairngorm. This quartz is often sold incorrectly under the misnomer "smoky topaz".

Quartz crystals are also irradiated in the lab to create the smoke color, but it is not recommended, and can usually be identified by an all-too even almost black color. Excellent specimens are currently found in Brazil, Switzerland, the Himalayas, and Mexico.

Prices can range from around $2 - $25 per stone.