On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural inorganic gem materials · Mineral / gemstone variety · Natural; common industry optimization (verify with certificate)
Smoky Quartz
Also known asCairngorm
A brownish-gray variety of quartz whose GB/T basic name is "Smoky Quartz"; CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 Annex 8 notes irradiation as its common treatment. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Smoky Quartz forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale; where its colour and optical effects come from, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Smoky QuartzHow far lab testing can go and whether a synthetic exists
- Treatments and enhancements of Smoky Quartz1 registered treatments: status, stability, how common they are and identification leads
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Smoky QuartzEach value with its source and check date
- Smoky Quartz in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name, names in national standards; and: Which of GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A have a name for it on record, and do those agree?
- Listing and disclosing Smoky QuartzThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define Smoky QuartzWhich clause defines it, each cross-checked
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
Smoky quartz is the brown-gray variety of quartz (SiO2), a variety rather than a separate mineral; its colour comes from colour centres related to aluminium impurities. During growth, particular conditions allow aluminium impurities to be accommodated more readily in certain growth sectors, and subsequent natural irradiation of these aluminium-rich zones gives rise to the smoky colour. In complex crystals such as ametrine, smoky quartz can occur as layers parallel to specific rhombohedral faces, coexisting with amethyst and citrine in one crystal.
Scope: Covers the colour-centre coloration and formation setting of natural smoky quartz (including smoky zones in ametrine); does not cover synthetic quartz or smoky quartz colour-altered by artificial irradiation or heat treatment.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki) · G&G Spring 1982
Where it forms
Quartz growth systems able to accommodate aluminium: growth conditions concentrate Al in particular growth sectors.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Complex crystals shared with other quartz varieties: smoky quartz can form layers with amethyst and citrine in one crystal such as ametrine.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Natural background radiation: the aluminium-rich zones must be irradiated to develop the smoky colour.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
How it forms, step by step
Silica-bearing fluid crystallizes quartz while growth conditions promote the enhanced accommodation of aluminium impurities in particular growth sectors (e.g. the z sectors).
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki) · G&G Spring 1982
The crystal continues to grow, producing sector or zonal distribution of aluminium-rich and aluminium-poor regions.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Natural irradiation of the aluminium-rich zones forms Al-related colour centres, turning those zones smoky brown.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
In complex crystals the smoky layers can be oriented parallel to particular rhombohedral faces, coexisting with amethyst and citrine.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Link to appearance
Aluminium-related colour centres activated by natural irradiation give the smoky brown-gray colour; because the colour centres concentrate in specific growth sectors, the crystal commonly shows layers or zones parallel to crystal faces.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Timescale
The source describes the mechanism of the smoky layers but gives no absolute age or duration for smoky quartz growth.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki) · G&G Spring 1982
Related base materials
- Quartz (SiO2): variety-of | Smoky quartz is the smoky brown to greyish-brown variety of quartz (coloured by colour centres)
Supporting findings
Smoky quartz can coexist with amethyst and citrine within one quartz crystal as layered colour zones parallel to specific rhombohedral faces.
Evidence grade BScope: Based on observations of ametrine specimens; it describes a coexistence/zoning phenomenon, not a universal habit of smoky quartz.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Silica delivered by migrating solutions can accumulate slowly inside cavities and vesicles, depositing the hydrothermal quartz to which smoky quartz belongs.
Evidence grade AScope: The source describes deposition of amethyst/citrine/green-quartz clusters; analogous to how the quartz host of smoky quartz generally precipitates.
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
South America
- Anahí mine, Santa Cruz, BoliviaMinor smoky quartz in the ametrine deposit
Sources Gems & Gemology
These are localities recorded by authoritative sources, not an origin finding for any individual piece. The CIBJO Gemstone Book (2022, §4.2.3) says a place of origin names where a gem was mined or harvested, is a matter of opinion, does not imply a level of quality, and that cutting, processing or exporting centres must not be used to imply origin. See how far testing can go on this page, the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Causes of colour and optical effects
The brown-gray colour of smoky quartz is produced by colour centres related to aluminium impurities: growth conditions concentrate aluminium in certain growth sectors, and subsequent natural irradiation turns these Al-rich zones smoky.
Evidence grade BScope: The source is a case study of smoky layers parallel to the z rhombohedral form in ametrine from the Yuruty mine, Bolivia; the Al colour-centre + irradiation mechanism is analogous to smoky quartz generally but is not a global sample.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Other research findings
Smoky quartz is not a separate mineral but a colour-centre variety of quartz (SiO2) (brown-gray); its colour mechanism (Al-related colour centres plus irradiation) differs from the inclusion-driven colour of rose quartz.
Evidence grade BScope: Defines smoky quartz as a colour-centre variety of quartz; the contrast with rose quartz is drawn from their respective colour mechanisms.
Sources G&G Gem News International (Krzemnicki)
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- Direct evidence for the colour-centre mechanism comes from a single ametrine deposit sample (Yuruty, Bolivia), not a dedicated study of smoky quartz.
- The source gives no age or duration for smoky quartz growth.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Smoky Quartz
GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1 “Smoky Quartz” · CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 §7.2.1.218 “Smoky quartz”
Construction or treatment status
Natural; common industry optimization (verify with certificate)
Treatments recorded for this material: Heated / Heat-treated, Irradiated, Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material), Coated (via parent material)
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
Smoky Quartz is often subjected to heating and irradiation. Under GB/T 16552-2017, heating and irradiation count as optimizations, so the plain gem name may be used (§5.4.2.1 a). Do not assume it is unenhanced.
Evidence
- CIBJO · Annex 8, row Smoky Quartz
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Smoky Quartz" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Disclosure rules for the treatments above can change as authorities update their standards; re-check before relying on this page.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Care and wear
No care facts are recorded for this entry itself. Its parent material has care records: see Quartz.
Treatments and identification leads
Values not givenThe treatments on record for Smoky Quartz are heating and irradiation. Irradiation has the status irradiated or dyed, and its stability and prevalence are both marked “—”, meaning the cited source gives no value, not “none”; the identification lead is that colourless rock crystal can turn into Smoky Quartz on irradiation, which is hard to detect, and the source is GB/T 16553—2017. SyntheticsOn whether synthetic Smoky Quartz is on the market, the original's records for untreated and irradiated material disagree, giving “No” and “Many” respectively, and the original does not explain what the records refer to, so this site does not use them to judge whether synthetic Smoky Quartz exists.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Market frequency (CIBJO) | Stability (CIBJO) | GB/T 16552 category | JJA/AGL listing | Identification leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| irradiationStatus: irradiated or dyed | — | — | Optimization | irradiation | See identification leads |
| Heating | — | — | Optimization | — | — |
| Filling | — | — | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 | — | — |
| Dyeing | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
| Coating | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
Where each treatment acts (schematics): Irradiated
“—” means the cited source gives no value for that item, not “none”. Source: GB/T 16553—2017; GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (row for Rock Crystal); JJA/AGL 2025
Whether a treatment has to show in the name differs between the two rule sets (this site’s paraphrase):
- GB/T 16552—2017: a method classed as treatment has to be stated in the name itself — the method put before the name, or added in brackets after it; a method classed as optimization does not need to appear in the name, though one marked “Optimization (annotation required)” still has to be noted in the quality documents. Source: §5.4.2.1 a), b); §5.4.2.2 a)
- CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022: no longer splits treatments into ones that need specific disclosure and ones that need only general disclosure: every treatment is to be disclosed, and the seller tells the buyer which treatment was used and what special care it calls for. Source: §4.2.5 Note 2, §4.2.5.1, pp.14–15
What this table covers
What this page can give
- Registered treatments, their stability and how often they occur (see the table above)
- Identification leads for each treatment, for use when sending a stone for testing
How lab reports word it
A general LMHC wording rule also covers Smoky Quartz (Information Sheet #8): see the LMHC rule “When colour authenticity cannot be determined”.
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Smoky Quartz, the name register records "Cairngorm" and "Smoky quartz", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded (CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 Annex 8 “Cairngorm”).
Standard and listing namesThe GB/T 16552—2017 formal name for Smoky Quartz is set out in Table A.1, and the suggested listing name is likewise Smoky Quartz. Names in four languagesThe four-language names cover Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Smoky Quartz) and Japanese; the GSJ (Japan) formal name is registered in Japanese. Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is Quartz (SiO2), brown-gray variety, and the trade name/synonym is Smoky quartz; the older English name Cairngorm comes from the “Cairngorm” row of CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 Annex 8, and Smoky quartz is registered as a market name by editorial ruling, with no clause cited. National standard namesGermany (RAL) writes Rauchquarz and the European Union writes Smoky Quartz. Institution usageOn authority wording, CIBJO has Smoky Quartz on record (CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 Annex 8); the FTC text on file has no wording for Smoky Quartz (checked); GIA and Gem-A are unchecked, and bodies without a record show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (2) | ||||
| CairngormEnglish | historical name | matched automatically | no restriction recorded | CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 Annex 8 “Cairngorm” |
| Smoky quartzEnglish | market name | matched automatically | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- スモーキークォーツ
- Chinese formal name
- 烟晶 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.1)
- Mineralogical name
- Quartz (SiO2), brown-gray variety
- Trade names and synonyms
- Cairngorm (historical name)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 烟晶
- 繁體中文
- 煙水晶
- English
- Smoky Quartz
- 日本語
- スモーキークォーツ／茶水晶
National and regional formal names
- Germany (RAL)
- Rauchquarz
- European Union
- Smoky Quartz
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Quartz and chalcedony materials
- Identity tier
- Mineral / gemstone variety
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural; common industry optimization (verify with certificate)
Treatments listed by standards
GB/T Table B.1In GB/T 16552—2017 Annex B, Table B.1, Smoky Quartz is assigned the Rock crystal row: heat treatment is listed as an enhancement, irradiation as an enhancement, filling is defined by grade, and dyeing and coating are listed as treatments. The notes to Table B.1 and the definitions of each filling grade are on the Gem treatments page. JJA/AGL designationsThe 2025 nomenclature of the JJA/AGL (Japan) lists Smoky Quartz under the species name quartz, in brown, with a “no treatment” category and irradiation recorded as irradiation treatment; how to read the JJA/AGL table is explained on the Gem treatments page.
GB/T 16552-2017, Annex B, Table B.1
Under the “Rock Crystal” row of Table B.1: Heating Optimization; Irradiation Optimization; Filling Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1; Dyeing Treatment; Coating Treatment. The full row, with the effect column, is on the Rock Crystal page.
What Table B.1 is, and how the “see 5.4.1” grades are defined: see the GB/T 16552: optimization vs treatment page.
JJA/AGL (Japan) table of principal gem names, 2025
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Gem name | Species | Colour | Listed in the table | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Quartz | Quartz | brown | an untreated tier is listed; irradiation (Irradiated) |
JJA/AGL definitions and nomenclature (2025 revision), table of principal gem names, p.10
How to read the JJA/AGL table: see the Gem treatments page.
What it is and how it's identified
Smoky Quartz is composed of quartz (phase) and is transparent. Recorded for rock crystal (the whole class), Smoky Quartz is crystalline and trigonal, with hexagonal prismatic crystals bearing distinct horizontal striations on the prism faces, Mohs hardness 7 and cleavage none. For rock crystal (the whole class), density 2.64–2.69 g/cm³ is derived from the cited clause value 2.66 with tolerance +0.03/−0.02; optic character is anisotropic, uniaxial, positive, refractive index 1.544–1.553 and birefringence 0.009; chatoyancy and asterism may be seen, the star being six-rayed and mostly found in rose quartz. For rock crystal (the whole class), lustre is vitreous for the untreated state.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Chemical composition, luminescence, UV-visible spectrum, infrared spectrum, magnification: these whole-class features are given in the cited clause for rock crystal (the whole class), so they are not repeated on the Smoky Quartz page; see the material facts on the Rock Crystal entry.
Items below that name the class they cover give the cited clause’s value for that whole class, not a measurement of Smoky Quartz (how to read class-level values).
Definition
Smoky Quartz — composition (phase): quartz
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Structure
Smoky Quartz — structure (overall): crystalline
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — structure (crystal system): trigonal
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — structure (crystal habit): hexagonal prisms with prominent horizontal striations on the prism faces
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Durability
Smoky Quartz — Mohs hardness: 7
GB/T 16553—2017
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — cleavage: none
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Physical properties
Smoky Quartz — density: 2.64–2.69 g/cm³
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
- Qualification
The clause we cite gives 2.66, with a stated tolerance of +0.03 / -0.02. The range shown here is worked out from that.
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Optical
Smoky Quartz — optic character: anisotropic material, uniaxial, with positive optic character; a “Bull's eye” interference figure may be present, and Brazil-law twinning is common in amethyst.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — refractive index: 1.544–1.553
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — birefringence: 0.009
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — transparency: transparent.
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Smoky Quartz — pleochroism: weak; it depends on the body colour.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — optical effect (chatoyancy): seen
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — optical effect (asterism): seen; a six-rayed star, common in rose quartz.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
body colour2 sources compared
Smoky Quartz — body colour: light to dark brown
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- Qualification
In chapter 5 of GB/T 16553—2017, the colour entries of Jet, Peridot, Ruby and other variety clauses also name brown or a brownish colour.
- General note
- colour alone is not identity
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 Colour · Smoky quartz (locator checked 2026-09-28)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — body colour: light to dark brown.
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Qualification
In chapter 7 of the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book, the colour descriptions of Agate, Morion / very dark Smoky Quartz, Sunstone and other entries also name brown or a brownish colour.
- General note
- colour alone is not identity
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
How the sources relate
- GB/T 16553—2017 and CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
The two entries give the same colours in matching words. Both say light to dark brown.
- CIBJO definitions
- chatoyancy, asterism
Quality factors
Smoky Quartz — quality factor (lustre): vitreous
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- rock crystal (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
This material (RI / SG midpoints): 1.548 / 2.67; Closest values: 1Agate 1.537 / 2.63, 2Shoushan Stone 1.56 / 2.7, 3Changhua Stone 1.56 / 2.6, 4Bamboo Coral 1.57 / 2.65, 5Synthetic Beryl 1.57 / 2.69
Show the full chart (330 registered materials)
Outside the full chart's range, drawn as triangles at the edge (RI / SG midpoints): Hematite 3.045/5.12, Synthetic Rutile 2.76/4.26, Rutile 2.753/4.23, Synthetic Moissanite 2.67/3.22
Testing and market
The CIBJO laboratory protocol covers Smoky Quartz under Quartz; identification is given on the Quartz entry, and the required tests are listed on the laboratory testing page. The identification lead for irradiation is that irradiation can turn colourless rock crystal into smoky quartz, and this is hard to detect; the treatment state is irradiated or dyed. GB/T 16553—2017 can be followed for Smoky Quartz as a reference only and does not govern it directly. On whether there is a synthetic Smoky Quartz on the market, the CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 is inconsistent: the untreated row records No and the irradiated row records Many; the source does not explain what the treatment state means for these records, so this site does not use them to judge whether synthetic Smoky Quartz exists.
The CIBJO laboratory protocol covers Smoky Quartz under “Quartz” (§6.1.65): see identification on the Quartz entry; the required tests are listed on the CIBJO laboratory protocol table for Quartz.
How far testing can go
Smoky Quartz that has undergone irradiation can be identified by the following features: Colourless rock crystal may turn into smoky quartz after irradiation; hard to detect.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- irradiated or dyed
- Does this standard apply
- can be followed as a reference only
- Treatment
- irradiation
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.1.16 (irradiation) (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Smoky Quartz — synthetic counterpart on the market: The source's two rows disagree: the untreated row (p.68) says “No”, the irradiated row (p.69) says “Many”; the source does not define what this column means on a treatment row, so no yes-or-no answer is given here on whether a synthetic counterpart exists.
CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-25
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-25
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Clause-level definitions
Smoky Quartz is defined directly in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 under the entry name Smoky quartz, as a light to dark brown, transparent variety of quartz; the cross-check result for this clause is: defined directly by CIBJO; also present in the GB/T annex.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky quartz | 7.2.1.218 | light to dark brown and transparent variety of quartz | Defined directly by CIBJO; also present in the GB/T annex. |
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
Related-entry tree for Quartz on this site: 74 entries listed by this site's parent-entry links; synthetic, treated and similar entries carry their recorded state after the name; this page (Smoky Quartz) is marked.
- Quartz
Sub-entries (57)
- Agate
Sub-entries (1)
- Amethyst
- Ametrine
- Aventurine Quartz
- Aventurine Quartz / Green Aventurine
- Banded Agate
- Black Agate
- Bloodstone / Heliotrope
- Blue Lace Agate
- Carnelian
- Chalcedony
Sub-entries (2)
- Chrysoprase
- Citrine
- Clear Quartz / Rock Crystal
- Coated Quartz
- Colourless to White Quartz (brand name: Azeztulite)
- Crazy Lace Agate
- Dendritic Agate
- Dyed Agate (Treated: dyed)
- Elestial Quartz / Skeletal Quartz
- Eye Agate
- Flower Agate / Cherry Blossom Agate
- Green Quartz
- High-clarity quartz with golden needle-like inclusions
- Included Quartz
- Jasper
Sub-entries (1)
- Madeira Citrine
- Malachite Agate
- Morion / very dark Smoky Quartz
- Moss Agate
- Moss Chalcedony
- Multi-inclusion Quartz
- Onyx (banded chalcedony)
- Phantom Quartz
- Prase
- Prasiolite / Green Quartz
- Quartz Cat’s-eye
- Quartz claimed to be from the Himalayas
- Quartz Crystal
- Quartz with dark needle-like inclusions
- Quartz with fine fibrous inclusions
- Quartz with flower-like inclusions
- Quartz with golden needle-like inclusions
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
- Quartzite Jade
- Quartzose Jade
- Red Agate
- Rock Crystal
- Rose Quartz
- Rutilated Quartz
- Sard
- Sardonyx
- Silicified Asbestos
Sub-entries (2)
- Hawk’s Eye
- Tiger’s Eye
Sub-entries (1)
- Smoky Quartz
- Smoky Quartz (brown variety)
- Strawberry Quartz
- Yellow-green Quartz
- Agate
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Quartz and chalcedony materials | Live |
| Treatments recorded for this material | Heated / Heat-treated, Irradiated, Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material), Coated (via parent material) | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Smoky Quartz entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original; clause-level definitions also carry a cross-check result. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.