Willemseite in Quartz

specimen number:
2354015

location:
Marlborough, Queensland, Australia

description:
Classic locality for this material, often called chrysoprase. Massive quartz green in color due to inclusions throughout of willemseite.

Located in Central Queensland, Australia, the Marlborough area is internationally renowned for producing some of the highest-quality chrysoprase in the world, formed through intense deep weathering and nickel enrichment within ancient serpentinite rocks. Active mining in the district began in the mid-twentieth century, quickly drawing interest from lapidaries and mineral collectors worldwide due to the vibrant green color of the gem material. The characteristic bright apple-green hue found in Marlborough quartz specimens is produced by microscopic inclusions of willemseite, a rare nickel-rich silicate mineral dispersed throughout the microcrystalline quartz host rock.

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