Smoky Quartz

Smoky quartz is a grey, translucent variety of quartz that ranges in clarity from almost complete transparency to an almost-opaque brownish-gray or black crystal. Like other quartz gems, it is a silicon dioxide crystal. The smoky colour results from free silicon formed from the silicon dioxide by natural irradiation.

A very dark brown to black opaque variety known as morion. Morion is the German, Danish, Spanish and Polish synonym for this mineral. Cairngorm a variety crystal found in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland. It usually has a smoky yellow-brown colour, though some specimens are greyish-brown.

Smoky quartz is common and was not historically important, but in recent times it has become a popular gemstone, especially for jewellery. Sunglasses, in the form of flat panes of smoky quartz, used in China in the 12th century.