Amethyst ('Grapes')

Item Description

An attractive small cabinet display specimen of these fairly new, unique "Grape Amethyst" specimens from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Obviously these specimens got their nickname due to the fact that they are purple and genuinely resemble bunches of grapes. Although this material is new to the market, very little seems to be out there now, and perhaps it is drying up. If you missed out on these when they first came out, this is a great opportunity to pick up a really attractive specimen for a great piece. This piece is loaded with dozens, if not hundreds, of eye-catching, translucent, semi-resinous "balls" or spheroids measuring up to about 3 mm which are tightly intergrown and are visible literally on every side of the specimen. The color ranges from purple to lavender to a soft silvery tone. This piece is what I would call a near "floater", as it's almost crystallized 100% of the way around. The quality is fantastic on all sides, as there is VERY little damage. There is a lot of Quartz in the world, but these pieces are truly unique and would make a superb addition to any Quartz suite. 

While these originally came out to market as agate/chalcedony, they were later analyzed by Dr. George Rossman at CalTech and determined to be amethyst. More info on page 101-102 of the Journal of Gemmology.