"Cactus" Amethyst

Item Description

Elegant small cabinet cluster of "cactus" amethyst crystals from this well-known South Africa locality. The striking, hexagonal, very glassy, lustrous, transparent to translucent, amethyst points or "towers" have beautiful variable purple color. The bases of the points are covered with a second generation of smaller amethyst crystals, some included with iron oxides, which add color and contrast. The small crystals really sparkle and are called "cactus quartz" for their form. A side view reveals the really interesting multiple stage growth, quartz chemistry change and coloration of the quartz crystal transforming into an amethyst crystal. A very showy and fine example from the locale. Classic material from the early 2000s, which we now ONLY see as old collections built in the 1990s to early 2000s are recycling.