Help with identification!

[jackiedanger]

I purchased this stone from a friend for $25. He purchased it at a 'crystal garage sale' in Kansas. I pretty sure it's smokey amethyst. Inside the stone (red and black flecks), I think are cacoxenite, but I am unsure. Also, there's the orange crystal growing on the surface. My first guess was a garnet, but it appears to have a small termination. The orange crystal is slightly translucent. I think it's too orange to be citrine. Could anyone please help?

 

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[Eu_citzen]

I'd guess your "brownie" is a smokey quartz.

 

[JLeonhardy]

That's a very nice smoky. Always called them the 'malforms' cause of their goofy structure. I've a few I've gathered from peterson mountain. I'd be surprised if that wasn't a citrinecrystal growing on it. True citrine skews brown/orange. Most of the golden/lemon yellow you see is heat treated amethyst.

 

[StoneWhisper]

Agreed.. Smokey.. However the "orange" is not smokey.. and as of yet inconclusive.. Also.. cleaning this sample will prove very beneficial.. why?.. because it appears that you find the smokey quartz has inclusions through out it's crystal formation.

 

[jackiedanger]

Agreed.. Smokey.. However the "orange" is not smokey.. and as of yet inconclusive.. Also.. cleaning this sample will prove very beneficial.. why?.. because it appears that you find the smokey quartz has inclusions through out it's crystal formation.

What can I clean it with? I have tried soapy water and a toothbrush to no avail. Someone told me to use iron out. My pictures are crappy, but the entire crystal has a purple hue to it. Someone into the metaphysical properties of rocks told me it was smokey amethyst. Its driving me crazy not knowing what the orange stone is.

 

[Eu_citzen]

It looks brownish in the pics, is it really orange? The crystal shape looks like quartz to.

 

[jackiedanger]

It looks brownish in the pics, is it really orange? The crystal shape looks like quartz to.

I'm sorry about the low quality pictures. It is orange, no doubt. I agree that the shape looks like quartz. Could it just have a lot of iron in it?

 

[StoneWhisper]

What?.. Who said you had poor images.. Jack.. as a photographer.. those image way better then others I've seen here.. never doubt your photographic ability. and yes that's orange and don't let anyone else tell you different. Try soaking the stones in 20 mule team and then dawn foam with the tooth brush.. this type of cleaning is going to take time.. Lastly you people really need to stop quoting people I've ignored...

 

[jackiedanger]

Thanks for the kind words SW! I actually read one of your prior comments about needing a white background, so I grabbed a paper towel I will clean it up and post more pictures. I'm going to try to find a local geologist to see if the inclusions and orange stone can be identified. I will post any updates.

 

[StoneWhisper]

@jackiedanger Looking forward to your updated.. the zoom shot on the inclusions are fascinating to see. if cleaned and polished properly, you could some worthy of the museum.

 

[Bajahunter]

JD
Can you see any striations on the face of the orangish crystal?
If citrine, or smokey quartz the striations would go across the crystal.
If you have striations that go the length of the crystal then you might have either heliodor ( yellow beryl) or a topaz. Both can be found with quartz and both can be found in the US. Both are harder than citrine. Beryl often has inclusions.
Regardless of whether it is quartz, topz, or beryl, it is a nice specimen.

 

[StoneWhisper]

Agreed Baja.. that crystal point did remind me of the Golden Beryl.. But I didn't want to get his hopes up.. cause the beryl is way more of value than the inclusioned smokey.. Unless the smokey isn't a smokey at all but a very pale verity of Beryl.

 

[omurcelik]

harlequin hematite leudocrite quartz++++ i suppose citrine ++++ look up to ebay for samples congrats..++++.i should also say some smoky quartz sights and some clear quartz

3 maybe 4 type quartz together..

 

[jackiedanger]

SW- I am also really excited to see it cleaned up. Now that suspicions are our there, I cant help but get excited! I am too often blindly optimistic.

Baja- the surface of the orange stone is textured, a little rough (not sure why), so no striations are visible to the naked eye. I am going to get a magnifier soon, maybe I can see something with it. I looked at some of my quartz and heliodor, and I know what to look for. Would heliodor really be that orange?

omur- I looked on ebay, and did an image search. The inclusions look very similar. Thanks for bringing that to the discussion!

 

[Eu_citzen]

I'm sorry about the low quality pictures. It is orange, no doubt. I agree that the shape looks like quartz. Could it just have a lot of iron in it?

It has to do with the computer screen - it doesn't always show the colours of a image correctly. So it isn't about poor image quality, it's just that on my screen I see a brown crystal rather then an orange one.

It looks etched and no striations would be visible.

 

[Tigger]

looking forward to more pix & updates - interesting!