Solution Quartz from Jeffrey Quarry Arkansas
Mined right beside the famous Jeffery Stone Quarry in North Little Rock, AR, which was the site of the discovery of solution quartz (mining on the same veins that run through the quarry). Solution quartz grows in “Rectorite”. Rectorite is a jelly-like substance that forms when a rock fractures. The quartz grows in this jelly and that is why every crystal is doubly terminated, unless it grew on the sandstone. When air hits rectorite it turns into “Mountain Leather”, a clay mineral that is flexible in a nature similar to leather. This type of crystal has excited many collectors. The site was accessible for a 15-year period between the 1950s to the late 1970s before the quarry flooded. The site is currently closed and inaccessible. The best crystals to come from this site had the following characteristics: water clear, open interlocked clusters and haystacks (haystacks have no matrix attachment point, they are formed as free-floaters in the veins), magnificent luster, and were combined with any of several other minerals which include: cookeite, ankerite, and fluorapatite. These prized crystals are some of the most sought-after crystals in the world because of their delicate points and exquisite arrangements. The clusters are known as “Investment Pieces” as they are rare and difficult to acquire.
