Amazonite, Smoky Quartz (Significant Specimen). Icon Pocket, Smoky Hawk claim, Crystal Peak, Teller County, Colorado, USA. 2... (Total: 2 Items)

Description

Amazonite, Smoky Quartz (Significant Specimen)
Icon Pocket, Smoky Hawk claim, Crystal Peak, Teller County, Colorado, USA
25.0 x 20.7 x 12.5 cm (9.84 x 8.15 x 4.92 in)

It is the "icons" of the mineral world that inspire all of us collectors, young and old, amateur and experienced, to collect the natural art that we know as mineral specimens. These signature pieces of our world are few and far between, and it is our privilege to have one such example here today: one of the finest pieces to ever hail from the Smoky Hawk Claim, a world-class Amazonite and Quartz specimen from the aptly named Icon Pocket. In 2012, the already-classic locality of Smoky Hawk yielded this remarkable eight-foot deep cavity full of the highest quality crystals imaginable: triclinic Amazonites of the deepest teal, and dark, alluring Smoky Quartz crystals jutting out like spears. In fact, the Dorris family discovered this pocket during filming of Prospectors, and you can actually follow the story of this pocket in the first season of the show. It wasn't until 2015 that the material from the pocket was finally presented to the public, as it took many years to get all specimens cleaned and prepared. There were many excellent specimens extracted from the pocket, but in the words of Smoky Hawk Claim owner Joe Dorris, this particular one was "the most collectable of them all."

The aesthetics of this specimen is what makes this piece so singular. A dynamic cluster of huge Amazonite crystals grow out like a blue garden, with each of the faces being incredibly well-formed, lustrous, and deeply colored in a range of rich green-blue hues, some of the best that can be seen in the Smoky Hawk Claim, and in general! Centered as the anchor of this specimen's composition is a single, beautifully formed Smoky Quartz crystal, so deeply colored that it is almost black. The different faces and striations that climb up the Quartz tower are intricate and add to the grandeur of the specimen. You simply cannot ask for a better combination specimen, either from Colorado or anywhere else in the world. It is singular.

It is a given that nearly all major Smoky Hawk specimens, such as this one, are repaired, as the pockets have been long-collapsed by tectonic movement far before being discovered by miners, millions of years later. This specimen has approximately 20 repairs and restorations, but the vast majority of these are very thin hairline repairs or fills. It is Tim Dorris himself that did the expert repair and cleaning work on this specimen, which took over six weeks of preparation!

From The John Farmer Collection.

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