Smoky Quartz
EXPERIENCE HISTORY
MYSTIC SMOKY QUARTZ
It encaptures every shade of brown, from light tan to nearly black. Reminiscent of a drop of ink in a cup of water, this translucent quartz has proven its excellent wearability for ages. Make it part of the story you write.
DID YOU KNOW?
THE NAME
It looks as if light-brown fumes softly float within this stone. One variety shares its name with Cairngorm, the Scottish mountain range where it is found. Another variety, characterized by a deep black color, is called morion.
Did you know?
THE SOURCE
Smoky quartz is found in Scotland, Brazil, Madagascar, Switzerland, South Africa, Mexico, India, Russia, Iran, Sri Lanka, and the United States.
DID YOU KNOW?
UP IN SMOKE
In the 12th-century Chinese judiciary tradition, judges would often wear sunglasses in the form of flat panes of smoky quartz to hide their facial expressions during court proceedings.
SMOKY QUARTZ
A HISTORY
This gemstone is the national gemstone of Scotland. The Scots would use it for jewelry, as a decorative item on kilt pins, and to add luster to their daggers’ handles. In 18th- and 19th-century China and Russia, the stone was cut into smaller objects such as figurines, snuff bottles, and desk seals.
According to a Slavic folk tale, the first owner of the morion, the pitch-black variety of this gemstone, was an evil sorceress who was mischievously set on spreading destruction. As long as she wore a ring that carried the black stone on her finger, she remained immortal. Baking morion in bread was one way to get rid of its havoc-inflicting powers, it was believed.
