Smoky Quartz Gwindel. Zinggenstöcke, Oberaar lake area, Guttannen, Interlaken-Oberhasli, Bern, Switzerland. 8.9 x 7.1 x 4.3 ...

Description

Smoky Quartz Gwindel
Zinggenstöcke, Oberaar lake area, Guttannen, Interlaken-Oberhasli, Bern, Switzerland
8.9 x 7.1 x 4.3 cm (3.48 x 2.78 x 1.68 in)

Zinggenstöcke is both a prolific and incredibly picturesque locality, with its towering mountain outlining the northern shore of the Oberaar lake of Switzerland. This serenity, however, hides the incredibly arduous conditions that the strahlers, or crystal hunters, endure when mining for legendary Swiss smoky Quartz. Their risk comes with great reward: incredible smoky Quartz specimens, which set the standard for this variety. Displaying the best qualities of these Swiss Quartzes is this specimen featuring both standard Quartz points, and a beautifully-formed "Gwindel" habit Quartz, defined by a tabular form that is slightly twisted,and is doubly terminated with multiple terminations on each end. It is a common myth that Gwindels are actually lateral aggregates of multiple crystals, but in reality, Gwindels technically consist of a single crystal. This specimen is a "left-handed" Gwindel, as it twists counter-clockwise. The vast majority of the crystals on this cluster are totally pristine, and display a remarkable clarity and deep, warm smoky color. There is a lovely touch of crystallized Calcite on one end of the cluster.

From The Edgehill Collection.

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