Smokey Quartz is found in various places in the world, but particularly famous are the Cairngorm and Morion varieties, found in the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland. The colour is believed to be caused by natural radiation of the aluminium in the crystal over a long period of time.

Morion Quartz is a very dark, opaque black naturally occuring variety of Smoky Quartz. However the irradation treatment used to artificially create Smoky Quartz by blasting gamma radiation at Clear Quartz will also often produce opaque black quartz if they are exposed for too long. Location is a good factor in trying to tell if your Morion is genuine - much of the black treated 'Morion' is low quality clear quartz from Arkansas that has been treated to make it more sellable.

This crystal has been prized by the Scots for centuries, it is their national gem (and also the State Gemstone of New Hampshire) and the ancient Druids used it as a sacred crystal that represented the power of their earth gods. The Scots would use the gem to adorn their daggers, or sgian dhub, and would hide these in their armpits, even when visiting friends. 

In China in the 12th Century, Smoky Quartz is believed to have been used to make eyeglasses with, and they were particularly popular with judges to hide their expression.

Smoky Quartz Metaphysical Properties include:
- Strong grounding crystal
- Boosts intuition
- Strong protection against bad luck. 
- Helps dissolve pain, lifts depression and helps grief
- Promotes calmness, relieves stress and anxiety
- Increases practicality, survival instincts and ability to move forward in life
- Helps neutralise depression and detoxifies the mind
- Helps alleviate suicidal thoughts
- Aids concentration and communication
- Dispels nightmares and manifest dreams
- Enhances male energy
- Combats addictions like habitually spending too much
- Aids meditation and dream interpretation

Find our Smoky Quartz collection here.