Quartz

specimen number:
1822120

location:
Piedra Parada, Tatatila, Veracruz, Mexico

description:
An absolutely gorgeous top quality example of this Mexican classic. Deep purple glassy lustrous and gemmy crystals of quartz, the variety often referred to as amethyst, measuring to 5.5 cm in size coming off of a thin plate of matrix. The pieces very aesthetic, the color of these crystals, coupled with the transparency and luster, are much, much better than what is normally seen available on the market.

Piedra Parada, located in the Tatatila municipality of Veracruz, Mexico, gained international recognition among mineral collectors in the 1960s as the primary source of world-renowned Veracruz amethyst. Geologically, unlike typical amethyst that forms inside basalt geodes, the deposit here consists of slender, highly transparent, prismatic crystals growing within gas cavities, vugs, and veins inside andesitic volcanic host rock. The distinctive pale lilac to deep purple color of this quartz variety develops from trace amounts of iron within the crystal lattice combined with natural radiation over geological time, and because surface deposits have grown scarce through decades of small-scale mining, these fine Mexican specimens remain exceptionally prized.

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