Quartz

specimen number:
2062816

location:
Sary Shagan, Moiynkum, Jambyl, Kazakhstan

description:
A glassy gem crystal of quartz, this a rich purple in color, set on one edge of matrix. In excellent condition. These are often referred to by the varietal name amethyst. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and dates to the 1990s.

The Sary Shagan region in the Moiynkum district of the Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, situated near the western shores of Lake Balkhash, features arid desert geology characterized by extensive plains and localized rock outcrops associated with regional intrusive and metamorphic formations. While the area is globally prominent for large-scale military and testing history, recent decades have brought attention to its localized pegmatite and hydrothermal pockets yielding fine mineral specimens. Collectors and small-scale miners have increasingly recovered distinct, highly lustrous amethyst crystals and phantom quartz groupings from these desert zones, which frequently form on drusy quartz matrices and are prized by mineral enthusiasts worldwide for their deep purple coloration and crystal clarity.

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