Smoky Quartz Scepter

Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Minas Gerais, Brazil

A plate of smoky quartz with a remarkable growth history, crowned by a double scepter 7 cm long. Two scepter heads sit one above the other, and color zoning inside the scepter traces its growth in a fine band. The tip is lightly chipped, but the scepter loses none of its presence. Across the whole plate, crystals rise in parallel and break the surface into stepped plateaus and raised scales: the so called “alligator” look rarelly seen in quartz from Minas Gerais. Small scepters form wherever you look, with sharp, glassy terminations, and toward the right side the smoky color deepens to an intense dark brown. From Minas Gerais, Brazil, one of the great quartz regions of the world. A large plate of 24 cm whose growth you can follow crystal by crystal, and a specimen that rewards a close look from every side.