Astrologers Notes

Smoky Quartz

Keywords: Perception, Penetration, Power, Protection

Qualities:

 A stone linked with power and perception, Smoky Quartz is associated with the planet Pluto. It promotes the capacity to understand the hidden dimensions of life experience.

Smoky Quartz has long been associated with protection and insight. Its mineral content works to stimulate the body’s protective fields, creating a powerful aura of calm awareness and understanding.

Spiritually, Smoky Quartz helps to relieve stress and amplify feelings of personal power. It greatly increases the natural ability to perform under pressure and perform difficult tasks that require focus, perseverance and dedication.

Its calming influence is two-fold. One the one hand, smoky quartz increases tolerance to stress. It can activate the inner knowing that there are always the necessary resources at hand. The stone also amplifies personal power and magnetism, creating the kind of attitude that is necessary to overcome obstacles. From a place of relaxed but focused intensity, greater results are achieved.

Smoky Quartz has been used to alleviate cramps and to reduce pain. It is said to be especially helpful with back problems. It has also been used to ameliorate the effects of radiation and can be used during cancer treatments to help the body recover from the effects of radiation therapy.

The colour ranges from a pale almost amber colour, through to a very dark variety called Morion. Its properties are very similar to rock crystal, but the smoky edge given to the stone by the effects of natural radiation creates an enigmatic and potent corresponding vibration.

Myth and Legend:

As a member of the common quartz family, supplies of smoky quartz are plentiful. It has been used for centuries in different ways, but most especially as a stone of protection.

In Central Europe it is considered to be stone that imparts a protective influence, so that polished crucifixes are often made from it. Soldiers would also carry the stone into battle as a way of protecting themselves.

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Gemologer’s Notes

 Smoky is a variety of quartz, and its characteristic brown or smoky colour comes from gamma rays affecting the mineral components within the crystal. Aluminium and Lithium deposits also add to the brown tinge.

Supply of smoky quartz is abundant, as it is part of the quartz family. Pleochroism can be apparent and lesser quality specimens will show distinct colour-banding. It is rarely produced synthetically on the market owing to its relatively low cost. Colour can be altered through artificial radiation however, which will affect its therapeutic qualities.

Composition:

• Crystal System: trigonal
• Manner of Formation: primary
• Mineral Class: oxide, quartz group
• Colour: Light brown to dark
• Doubly Refractive
• RI: 1.54-1.55
• SiO2+(Al,Fe,Ca,Mg,Li,Na)
• SG: 2.65
• Moh’s Hardness: 7

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