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The ‘Technical Ambassador’—a masterwork of Arkansas lapidary history.

THE SALINE COUNTY SMOKY: AN ARCHIVAL STUDY

Archival Record of the 1990s Howard/Clardy Rescue Mission

Original handwritten mineral label by Ben Clardy Jr. identifying the Saline County rescue mission.

PRIMARY SOURCE PROVENANCE

This discovery is anchored by original field documentation from Ben Clardy Jr. (Ben III) produced as seen here as a label for the specimen gift to Ben V. The record establishes the partnership with State Geologist Mike Howard and identifies the specific Cretaceous-age igneous origin of the find.

Raw Smoky Quartz crystal from Saline County in a 2x2 Perky display box.
The raw ‘Grit’ of the find—a companion record to the faceted gem.

THE 1990s RESCUE MISSION

During active industrial mining in the Saline County Bauxite District, a vein of high-clarity smoky quartz was exposed within an igneous contact zone. Recognizing that industrial excavation would pulverize the pocket within hours, Clardy and Howard performed an emergency salvage, hand-collecting the specimens from the “completely altered Syenite” clay.

STEWARDSHIP & DISTRIBUTION

While many of the original specimens were gifted by Ben Jr. as “Office Touchstones” to visitors of the Arkansas Geological Commission, the find is preserved today through two primary family heirlooms:

The Artifact of Office: The Large (~40ct+) Emerald-Cut pendant.

The Artifact of Lineage: The raw archival specimen in its original 2×2 Perky box.
This find holds a historical significance to the family as important as the original Stanley Museum Acquisition.