Quartz

specimen number:
1822119

location:
Piedra Parada, Tatatila, Veracruz, Mexico

description:
Beautiful gemmy purple lustrous crystals of quartz, this the variety often called amethyst, measuring to 5.0 cm in height coming off of a thin matrix plate. This attractive piece is in outstanding condition. Classic Mexican specimen.

Piedra Parada, located in the Tatatila municipality of Veracruz, Mexico, gained international recognition among mineral collectors in the 1960s as the primary source of world-renowned Veracruz amethyst. Geologically, unlike typical amethyst that forms inside basalt geodes, the deposit here consists of slender, highly transparent, prismatic crystals growing within gas cavities, vugs, and veins inside andesitic volcanic host rock. The distinctive pale lilac to deep purple color of this quartz variety develops from trace amounts of iron within the crystal lattice combined with natural radiation over geological time, and because surface deposits have grown scarce through decades of small-scale mining, these fine Mexican specimens remain exceptionally prized.

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