Quartz

specimen number:
1052636

location:
Alabashka, Yuzhakovo, Prigorodny, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

description:
From the old classic locality in Russia's Ural Mountains, gemmy glassy crystals of quartz smoky in color and measuring to 5.0 cm in height coming off matrix. Slight damage present as seen. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. At one time the specimen was part of the collection of Wilhelm Hoyer and would date to the 19th century.

The Alabashka field, located near Mursinka in the Ural Mountains of Russia, is a world-class gemstone district famous for its exceptional smoky quartz crystals, often referred to as morion. Geologically, these deposits are hosted within miarolitic cavities of complex granitic pegmatites that intruded into the surrounding metamorphic rocks during the late Paleozoic Era. The characteristic deep brown to near-black coloration of the smoky quartz is the result of natural ionizing radiation from surrounding minerals acting on aluminum impurities within the crystal lattice. Historically, mining and quarrying in the Alabashka area began in the late 1700s, with intensive exploitation occurring throughout the 19th century to supply the Russian Imperial court and European gemstone markets. Most major underground operations were active from approximately 1770 through the early 1900s, though sporadic specimen recovery has continued through the Soviet era into 2026.

Wilhelm Hoyer (1849-1913) was a prominent German engineer and mineral collector based in Hanover, whose professional work in railway construction and geology facilitated the assembly of a significant mineralogical collection. Geologically, Hoyer was noted for his deep expertise in the Mesozoic formations of northwestern Germany, particularly the Hildesheim area, where he meticulously documented and collected specimens from active quarries and construction sites. His collection was scientifically important for its comprehensive representation of regional minerals and fossils, reflecting the systematic approach of 19th-century European collectors who bridged the gap between industrial mining and academic mineralogy. Historically, Hoyer was active in the latter half of the 1800s and early 1900s, contributing numerous papers to geological societies and maintaining professional ties with major institutions of his era. Following his death, his extensive mineralogical and paleontological holdings were integrated into the collections of the University of Gottingen and the Prussian Geological Survey in Berlin, where they continue to serve as vital reference materials for researchers through 2026.

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