Quartz (Aventurine)

specimen number:
1052876

location:
Ballari, Karnataka, India

description:
A cut and polished section of green quartz, the color due to inclusions of chromium muscovite or fuchsite. This material is known in the lapidary trade as aventurine.this is an antique example that comes with an old label and dates to the very early 20th century. This label is shown at the end of the video.

Ballari, located in the northern region of Karnataka, India, features an ancient and fascinating history intertwined with the remarkable geology of the Dharwar Craton, an archaic core of the Indian Peninsula characterized by massive granitoid intrusions and striking monolithic granite hills. Historically, the area has been a major center of human civilization and trade for millennia, serving as a powerful imperial capital during the medieval Vijayanagara Empire and later evolving into a key industrial and mining hub. Geologically, the surrounding terrain provides ideal conditions for the formation of various silica-rich rocks and pegmatite-associated minerals. Among its notable regional mineral associations, aventurine quartz is found in parts of Karnataka, prized for its translucent to opaque body infused with tiny platy inclusions of fuchsite mica or hematite that create a distinctive shimmering optical effect known as aventurescence.

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