We are Flash Mountain Crystals

Specializing in “Flash Mt. Solution Quartz” AKA “Jeffery Stone Solution Quartz”

Flash Mountain Crystals

Our property is located near the Crystal Hill community in North Little Rock, AR (Pulaski County). We owned this property for two years before we discovered we were actually living on a mountain full of beautiful gems and we have amazing crystals everywhere! We have now hand mined these beautiful gems for over four years. All crystals listed in our gem shop were hand dug on our property.

We are located right beside the famous Jeffery Stone Quarry in North Little Rock, AR, which was the site of the discovery of solution quartz (we are mining on the same veins that run through the quarry). Solution quartz grows in “Rectorite”. Rectorite is a jelly-like substance that forms when a rock fractures. The quartz grows in this jelly and that is why every crystal is doubly terminated, unless it grew on the sandstone. When air hits rectorite it turns into “Mountain Leather”, a clay mineral that is flexible in a nature similar to leather. This type of crystal has excited many collectors. The site was accessible for a 15-year period between the 1950s to the late 1970s before the quarry flooded. The site is currently closed and inaccessible. The best crystals to come from this site had the following characteristics: water clear, open interlocked clusters and haystacks (haystacks have no matrix attachment point, they are formed as free-floaters in the veins), magnificent luster, and were combined with any of several other minerals which include: cookeite, ankerite, and fluorapatite. These prized crystals are some of the most sought-after crystals in the world because of their delicate points and exquisite arrangements. The clusters are known as “Investment Pieces” as they are rare and difficult to acquire.

To find a pocket and recover the crystals most often requires “digging” with special equipment and chiseling through solid rock. Some of them come right out of the ground clean and shiny, although most of them come out compacted in dense clay. Once they are removed, crystals are then wrapped and packed for the ride back down the mountain. We rinse, dry and repeat several times. When the clay dries, it shrinks, cracks, and more crystals surface each time they are rinsed. Some then go through a cleaning process involving heat and oxalic acid. Once crystals are neutralized (in a baking soda bath), they are run through a steady flow of clean water to keep minerals from clinging to them (several clean water rinses until the water stays clear). We then put them through a sonic cleaner to remove remaining residues. After that you can find us in our office with some LED lights and a magnifying glass taking in the mystic beauty of these beautiful gems.

Please feel free to check out the following sites for in-depth information on these unique crystals:

Rockhounding Arkansas - Jeffrey Quarry by Michael Howard

Arkansas Geological Commission Bulletin 21