Closed smoky quartz cluster – Mont Blanc, Chamonix, Bonneville, Haute Savoie, France
 Aesthetic specimen with smoky quartz in normal habit and a perfectly closed spheroid. A snow-white adularis is enclosed at the undamaged tip of the spheroid.
 Closed twisted strands are the rarest form of the already rare twisted quartz crystals.
 In French, the closed Gwindel were nicknamed "sucre" / sugar.
 Because closed filaments are thin, they usually break off from the matrix over millions of years. This makes matrix fragments particularly rare.
 As with all alpine finds, this magnificent specimen was discovered by experienced mountaineers in extremely difficult and dangerous terrain. The French "prospectors" are called "crystalliers." These crystallizers mostly work in the Mont Blanc massif, which is not only the highest but also one of the most technically demanding mountain ranges in the Alps. Therefore, the majority of mineral prospectors in this area are experienced mountain guides. Compounding the challenge of the terrain, altitude, and freezing temperatures is a general ban on heavy tools, tents, and the use of helicopters. All of these factors make the search in the mountains around Chamonix a unique adventure, and the recovered minerals truly exceptional treasures!
 An aesthetic, rare and high-quality collector's item from the French Alps!