Gypsum with Quartz

specimen number:
1052577

location:
Carrara, Massa-Carrara, Tuscany, Italy

description:
Nice large combination piece for this classic Italian locality, a grouping of colorless gypsum crystals measuring to almost 6.0 cm in size across the front of a dolomite crystal matrix with colorless gemmy crystals of quartz to almost 2.0 cm in size. This is in really good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label dating this to the early 20th century. This is shown at the end of the video.

The Carrara quarries, located in the Apuan Alps of northern Tuscany, Italy, represent the most famous marble extraction site in the world. Geologically, this immense deposit of Carrara marble originated from Jurassic-aged limestone that underwent intense heat and pressure during the Alpine orogeny, a process known as regional metamorphism that transformed the stone into a nearly pure calcium carbonate rock with a characteristic sugary crystalline structure. The quarries are renowned for producing various grades of stone, most notably the pristine, white Statuario marble, which is prized for its fine grain and lack of impurities. Historically, extraction at Carrara dates back to the Roman Era, around the second century BC, and the site gained legendary status during the Renaissance when masters like Michelangelo personally selected blocks for their masterpieces. Today, the district consists of over six hundred individual quarries, such as those in the Fantiscritti and Colonnata basins, which continue to utilize advanced technology to supply high-quality marble for global architecture and fine art.

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