Faden quartz is a term derived from a German word for "string," to indicate the bizarre formation of the elongated crystal which grew nucleated from a central line of growth ("string") which you can still see running through the middle. All of them are vertical, and all sort of look the same from this locality from a big find in the late 1990s. However, this one is humongous - the fattest example I have seen in good condition! It has a dramatic size and presence. It came out in the late 1990s and was long in the Dr. Ed David collection in New Jersey, which I purchased in 2005. This is a MAJOR quartz specimen for the faden habit, for the locality, and for the sheer size and impact. Joe Budd Photos.