Quartz

specimen number:
8911120

location:
Piedra Parada, Tatatila, Veracruz, Mexico

description:

Gemmy glass purple crystals of quartz measuring to 3.0 cm in size on a green epidote crystal covered matrix. This is the variety of the species often called amethyst. In good condition. Nice color contrast.

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.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.