Quartz with Hematite

specimen number:
8911187

location:
Karur, Tamil Nadu, India

description:
Attractive example with for very good crystals of gem quality lustrous quartz, the largest measuring to 5.0 cm in size, coming aesthetically off matrix. All of these crystals exhibit phantom crystals that are lined with dark reddish-brown hematite. In very good condition. The matrix itself is coated by very small crystals of quartz. Slight damage along the edges of the matrix to some of the small crystals only, all of the prominent crystals are in good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection.

Located within the Southern Granulite Terrane of southern India, the Karur district is renowned for its metamorphic geology and pegmatite-hosted gem deposits that have been mined and collected for decades. Among its most prized mineral specimens are quartz crystals featuring distinct red hematite line phantoms. These rare formations occur when hydrothermal growth pauses, allowing microcrystalline iron oxide to coat the existing crystal faces before clear quartz deposition resumes, trapping striking internal red or reddish brown outlines and line patterns within highly transparent single crystals and clusters.

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