Neilson and Benedick have reported an anomalous piezoelectric behavior for negatively‐oriented synthetic alpha‐quartz crystals when subjected to transient stress of about 65 kbar. This paper describes the piezoelectric behavior of negatively‐oriented quartz in the stress region of from 5 to 50 kbar. The first indication of anomalous behavior occurs at 8 kbar. Between 8 and 24 kbar the negativex‐current waveforms show evidence of partial electric breakdown in the quartz. Between 25 and 34 kbar disruptive breakdown occurs. Above 34 kbar disruptive breakdown is followed by gross conduction with positive currents being observed for stress greater than about 50 kbar. The fields associated with the piezoelectric behavior are lower than the field for steady‐state electric breakdown at atmospheric pressure. It is proposed that the anomaly is triggered by stress‐induced dislocation motion resulting in liberated electrons which are accelerated into the stressed region of the specimen by the high negative electric field.