Auction Win: Amazonite on Iron-stained Smoky Quartz (Joe Dorris mined)

Locality: Smoky Hawk claim, Crystal Peak, Teller County, Colorado, USA

Size: Cabinet - 10.6 × 4.7 × 3.3 cm

Mined by Joe Dorris. The Dorris family was a heavy feature on the television series Prospectors!

The pieces condition is hard to know, considering it’s in the same condition it was mined in, never cleaned. The top and bottom do not fully terminate, but you will see a strong curve on the smoky on at least 2 faces.

Amazonite is a blue-green variety of potassium feldspar (KAlSi3O8), specifically microcline, named in 1847 by Breithaupt for its occurrence near the Amazon River. This specimen features bright blue-green amazonite crystals on iron-stained smoky quartz, where the quartz’s gray color comes from gamma irradiation and trace aluminum in its lattice.

The Smoky Hawk claim at Crystal Peak in Teller County, Colorado, is an active mining locality currently worked by Joe Dorris of Pinnacle 5 Minerals, renowned for producing Colorado's signature mineral Amazonite (Microcline var. Amazonite) with its distinctive turquois color and blocky to tabular habit. This peak is also a notable source of high-quality Smoky Quartz, often associated with Hematite, as well as Fluorite and Albite from specific pockets like the Lucky Monday pocket. Collectors value specimens from this locality for their geological significance and the rarity of well-formed Amazonite, which remains one of the state's most iconic mineral finds.