The French Alps are renowned for their superb pink and red Fluorite specimens, but they also produce some superb Alpine Quartz specimens. This piece is a beautiful Quartz specimen as it has a distinctive "Faden" (string) running the length of the specimen. It has a pastel smoky color, but due to the razor sharp faces, crystal clarity and high luster, the "Faden" within is very easy to see. This specimen was recently collected on Mt. Blanc over the past summer (2008) .