Tabbys

Those Fabulous Arkansas Tabular Crystals

One of the truly outstanding and most sought after forms of Arkansas quartz is the tabular (tabby) crystal.  The tabby is basically a quartz crystal with a flat shape and can range in size from very small up to many pounds.

Tabular crystals can form when pressure causes an existing crystal to cleave or split apart in directions that are parallel to the main faces.  Now, healing begins to take place along the broken surfaces to create the unique tabular shape. 

Tabular crystals can also form as Faden-line quartz.  A Faden-line is a single crystal fiber that was created when tremendous stress and pressure split grains of quartz.  Silicon dioxide now begins to deposit itself along the Faden-line or crystal fiber to form a flat shaped tabular blade.  Because the healing process can be incomplete the Faden-line remains visible as threadlike or distorted (rejuvinated) in appearance, and can be straight or curved.

In Arkansas we are lucky enough to have both types of tabular crystals and they can be found in most of the quartz crystal mining areas.  These wonderful tabby crystals can appear as single crystals, as multiples stacked one on top of the other or side-by-side.  Tabby crystals can also form their own unique clusters that are truly amazing and very rare.  Because of the stress and pressure needed to create these wonders of nature, finding a specimen in undamaged condition is, very difficult.  When one is found, it should always be treasured.