Smokey Quartz Facet / Faceting Information

Smokey Quartz Facet / Faceting Information

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: .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