Arkansas Quartz Crystals--The Leitmotif of Quartz Morphology for Collectors

摘要

The Hot Springs, Arkansas area is world famous for its sharp, clear, lustrous, exquisitely well-formed quartz crystals. They are abundant over a considerable area and were well-known and even exploited by the Indians before Spanish explorers penetrated the area. President Jefferson was curious about the area and sent an expedition to investigate it. The hot springs elicited interest and attracted tourists early in the 19th century. As transportation improved, more tourists were attracted. Locals quickly realized that tourists, then as now, constituted a great market for the quartz crystals, which were dug up by the wagonload to supply this demand and were eventually distributed all around the U.S. and Europe. Clear crystals were even cut and polished and offered under the unfortunate misnomer of "Arkansas Diamonds."