Smoky Topaz for Dummies

Smoky quartz crystals

According to one talking Barbie doll, "Math is hard!" So, apparently, is science: why else would so many freelance writers at sites like eHow and HubPages do such a lousy job of communicating even the most basic facts? Let's see what Cynthia Gomez, one of eHow's stable of "professional journalists," has to say about some fairly basic science in her post titled "What Are the Properties of Smoky Topaz?"¹

Cindy opens her content with a dull thud by saying, "Smoky topaz is another name given to smoky quartz, a gemstone similar to the familiar clear quartz." While not necessarily wrong, the whole truth would better have been expressed as "There is no such gemstone as smoky topaz, though the name is sometimes misapplied to smoky quartz." But let's move on from here...

Cindy demonstrates that "science is hard" most clearly with her statement that,

"Like other types of quartz crystals, smoky topaz is a macrocrystalline stone. This refers to the fact the individual crystal molecules in a gemstone can be seen without any magnification. Crystals are arranged in a hexagonal and rhombohedral manner, forming a six-sided pyramid. Because the stone naturally has a pyramid shape, many people wear the stones in their natural states as pendants."

She is wrong, though:

"macrocystalline" means that crystals are large enough to see with the naked eye, not that "molecules... can be seen without any magnification..." Mineral molecules are the size of a few atoms; much too small to see with the naked eye or even with conventional magnification. Quartz crystals aren't arranged in a "hexagonal and rhombohedral manner, forming a six-sided pyramid." A quartz crystal is a six-sided prism and, if complete, has a pyramid on each end. Technically, however, the six-sided prism is not hexagonal, it's trigonal. We're pretty sure that's too "hard" to get across...

Gomez continues by assigning healing and mystical properties to so-called smoky topaz. The scientists here at the Antisocial Network simply shake their heads in amusement. Whatever floats your boat, Cindy... our Dumbass of the Day.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   ehow.com/list_6297187_properties-smoky-topaz_.html

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