Colorado Prospector - Gem and mineral prospecting and mining forums [Powered by Invision Power Board]

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Oct 18 2008, 01:54 PM

Colorado "smokey" quartz is found many places and sizes are very large at times.
This one being a large cabinet size piece.

Another fairly large piece (cabinet size) with an amazing combination of goethite.

And this 345 lb. monster crystal also found in Teller county Colorado.

Colorado smokey quartz also facets out very nicely!

Enjoy

Posted by: russau Oct 20 2008, 05:19 AM

that peice is extreamly beautifull!

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Mar 19 2010, 05:16 PM

Glad you like it Russ, some of the faceted smokey quartz are very pretty.
Here's another small smokey with a couple tiny smokey's formed right on the main crystal. This one should be really pretty once put through the cleaning processes. The tabby crystal is hard to see but it is terminated and the main crystal looks like it may be mended on the right end into many small terminations.
For more info and details about Quartz, visit the http://www.coloradoprospector.com/Gems&Minerals/Quartz.html.

We'll post some more pics after cleaning too.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Nov 17 2012, 11:11 PM

Here is a sweet little Colorado smokey quartz with a small tabby on the bottom. This specimen is as small as a quarter. This one will clean up nicely!!
Pics of front and back side...

Posted by: NewRockHounder Aug 20 2014, 01:49 PM

I'm curious as to know how in the hell did you excavate that 345 pounder?

How long/wide is it?

Did you hafta take it out in pieces or it came out like that?

And how do you get it from its home location to a car/truck without breaking it?

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 21 2014, 07:39 AM

I wish I extracted that one! That smokey was found on the Godsend Claim in 2002 and they created a special harness to pull it out. You can get more details at the thread I started titled http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=129. More sweet finds can be seen in the http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=367 thread. Some great finds in there!! Crystal digging is my favorite!!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 22 2014, 08:27 AM

QUOTE (NewRockHounder @ Aug 21 2014, 11:54 AM)

Yes, I've looked at this several times already, Mrs. CP.

Wish I was there for that, I'm free labor

- just want to learn.

Just trying to answer your questions the best I can. That was actually many digs in the "Crystal Digging" thread. Those guys/gals have many years of digging under their belts and get really serious about it. They are very careful and patient about pulling them out and not break them.

Denise

Posted by: 720fly Aug 22 2014, 09:22 AM

Super cool. That first pic is huge

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 23 2014, 07:52 AM

I remember when they were extracting the big one hanging in the hole in the crystal digging thread. He was worried about it dropping while he was working on getting it out, so he put a bucket with a flannel over the it right under the smokey just in case if it dropped. Love seeing them pulled out and cleaned up but is much more of a rush seeing it still hanging in the hole.

Posted by: RhodoRose Sep 2 2014, 12:30 AM

Mrs. CP,
Isn't that 345-pounder one of the "brother crystals" - both of which now have a permanent home in the Florissant Museum? If not, they have one just like it.

RhodoRose

Posted by: Mrs.CP Sep 4 2014, 11:09 AM

Yes, but I couldn't remember if the one I pictured was of the larger one or the smaller one.....I'm thinking the smaller?

Posted by: Donny Oct 10 2014, 09:27 AM

wow, those are amazing.

Posted by: MikeS Mar 11 2015, 07:11 PM

Here are a few of the Quartz finds from last year.
The last pic is a surface find that led me to what became my first claim.

Posted by: fenixsmom Mar 11 2015, 11:44 PM

Is the smokey color due to magnetite?

Posted by: Dave S. Mar 12 2015, 04:41 PM

Good question. But no, not magnetite.

Radiation when forming, and long term radiation from radioactive minerals, causes extra free silicon atoms to form, distorting the light.

Amazonite gets it's color when Microcline(feldspar) forms with extra LEAD and Water, and is then bombarded by radiation.

That is why Amazonite and Smokies are found together often.

Posted by: fenixsmom Mar 12 2015, 05:30 PM

Wow! Amazing earth! Thanks Dave!

Posted by: llamabox Mar 13 2015, 12:14 PM

Well I saw Mike's post and had to go dig some quartz thursday. Still no amethyst from this site and no enhydros this time. But did get a few nice thumbnail plate specimens. Still need some cleaning. Gotta get more super iron out.