QTZ22
Smoky Quartz (Gwindel)
Val Giuf, Tavetsch, Grisons, Switzerland
Small Cabinet, 6.5 x 5 x 3 cm
Ex. Brooks Britt
SOLD

This is a beautiful specimen of sparkling, smoky-colored, gem quartz showing a dramatic Gwindel (twisted) growth, totally classic from these high Swiss alps. Somehow, these just sparkle in a way that normal quartzes seldom do. Prized by the people who risk life and limb to find them (see Bancroft's 1984 book Gem & Crystal treasures for stories!), they tend to be priced higher in Europe than when I sometimes get them in old collections here in the USA. This piece is pristine on the top and all around the major display faces, with only some minor damage around the periphery at the bottom (visible on close inspection, but not particularly from a few feet away, in any case). Nevertheless, for these small issues around the base, I have priced it at about half what it "looks like" it should be valued at, at first glance. This is a good chance to get a dramatic presentation quality gwindel, at a fair price compared to norms for this rare form of quartz.