Quartz

specimen number:
1052896

location:
St. Gotthard, Ticino, Switzerland

description:
A large grouping of colorless to slightly smoky to amethystine quartz crystals with little attached matrix. Crystallized completely all around and in good condition with just minimal damage present. This example was collected in the 19th century or earlier and comes with an old label as shown. At one time this was part of the collection of Wilhelm Hoyer.

The St. Gotthard Massif, located in the canton of Ticino in the Swiss Alps, is one of Europe's most legendary alpine mineral localities with a history of discovery stretching back centuries. Geologically, the region is characterized by complex crystalline basement rocks, including gneisses and schists that underwent intense regional metamorphism and deformation during the Alpine orogeny. This extreme tectonic activity created alpine clefts, or fissures, where hydrothermal fluids circulated and slowly deposited exceptional crystallized specimens. Historically, local crystal hunters, known as Kieserers, have explored these high-altitude cavities since the Middle Ages, unearthing world-class quartz, smoky quartz, adularia, hematite, and titanite specimens that are treasured by museums and collectors globally.

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