Description

A great 5 cm lattice of quartz crystals perched at the end of a smoky quartz.

This specimen exhibits one of the coolest quartz crystal phenomena – the growth of quartz crystals in a three-dimensional lattice (sometimes referred to as lattice quartz or fence quartz, and in German, Gitterquarz). The orientation of the quartz crystals was dictated by epitaxy over feldspar crystals which in this case are no longer present (sometimes this phenomenon is observed on feldspar crystals but often the feldspar crystals have completely dissolved). There is minor remnant feldspar.

This lattice is joined to a single longer smoky quartz crystal (contacted at the top), but the specimen is all about the lattice. In excellent condition, from the John White collection (one of John’s favourites).