by Jeff Graham
Smokey (Quartz)
Color: Smokey grey, yellow to peach tint
Moh’s Hardness: 7
Refractive Index: 1.544-1.553
Critical Angle: 40.49°
Specific Gravity: 2.63-2.65
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Conchoidal
Dispersion: Medium (.013)
Heat Sensitivity: Can be… but is usually not a problem
Dichroism: none
Birefringence (double refraction): Weak (.009)
Crystal structure: Hexagonal
Treatments: Generally none… Some material is irradiated from clear Quartz. Some material is heated lighter.
What I prefer to polishing with: Cerium oxide with a Spectra Ultralap.
Jeff’s Comments: Cuts and polishes like any other Quartz, usually no problems… I like to use a 1200 Nu Bond lap for pre-polish, it makes the polishing stage faster and easier. Some of the yellow/peach Smokey material can be very pretty and this type of material is not common. Can be expensive for top material, but most Smokey Quartz is not costly.
Design Notes: About any Quartz design will work well. As the rough gets more saturated, I prefer checker boards and bar cuts. I prefer to cut large clear Quartz, they are actually pretty impressive, especially for material that costs almost nothing.
Design Links: 4-Way Stop – This is great for saturated rough if you have a piece that will work in the shape…
Be Still My Heart – Good in about any Quartz
CheckMate – Neat in medium color Quartz
Light House – Nice in any Quartz
Utopia – Classic Barion pear
This article is by the late Jeff Graham. It is part of a special series of Archived Information from Gram Faceting.
| Cutting Information for Specific Gemstones |
| Smoky Quartz Value, Price, and Jewelry Information |
| Quartz Value, Price, and Jewelry Information |