Quartz (SIL-0012)

specimen number:
9273115

location:
Piedra Parada, Las Vigas, Veracruz, Mexico

description:

Gorgeous lustrous and gemmy double terminated crystal grouping of purple quartz, this a variety known as amethyst, set up on a green matrix. In super condition, the color contrast is wonderful. Very attractive.

The Piedra Parada extraction zone, located near the village of Piedra Parada in the municipality of Las Vigas de Ramirez, Veracruz, Mexico, is a world-famous locality celebrated for producing premier collector-grade amethyst crystal specimens rather than industrial metals or stones. Geologically, the deposit sits within a mountainous volcanic landscape at the southern terminus of the Sierra Madre Oriental, where mineralization is hosted within Tertiary-aged vesicular andesite formations. The distinct, elongated prismatic quartz crystals and pale lilac-to-deep violet amethyst scepters formed inside open gas cavities (vesicles) from volatile-rich, low-temperature hydrothermal fluids containing trace amounts of ferric iron. The history of specimen extraction in the rugged cliffs around Piedra Parada began on a casual basis by local villagers during the mid-20th century, but structured mining operations expanded dramatically around 1980 when commercial specimen dealers leased the properties and introduced pneumatic equipment. While various small-scale operations like La Cascada, Torrecellas, and La Mina Grande have experienced shifting levels of activity, localized, hand-tool extraction by resident miners has continued consistently well into the 21st century to supply the global mineral specimen market.

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