Quartz var: Amethyst (''Cactus'' style crystals)

Item Description

Here we have a wonderful and three-dimensional piece of what is commonly referred to as "Cactus Amethyst" or "Spirit Quartz" from South Africa. These noteworthy and alluring specimens made their appearance on the market in the mid 2000s, and were a big hit with collectors, especially Quartz enthusiasts. The wonderful form and overall appearance doesn't quite resemble anything we've seen previously. Boekenhoutshoek is the true source for the Amethystine Quartz, erroneously marketed at first as being from the Magaliesberg Range. This showy specimen hosts beautiful little, lustrous, drusy, translucent purple crystals of Amethyst which are growing like little "studs" on an earlier generation of prismatic Amethyst to create the unique style. The pointed pyramidal terminations of the original Quartz crystal at the top of the piece is isolated, while the body of the smaller crystals have a prickly, "cactus" appearance with an overgrowth of smaller crystals along the prisms. There is a bit of iron oxide on the surface to create some color contrast. When you flip the piece over, you'll see the interior of the crystal is a stark white hue, a notable contrast against the rich purple color of the Amethyst on the exterior. No major damage that I can find, though there is a small contact on the lower back side. From the collection of Jelani Daniel, and originally in the Uli Bahmann collection.