Quartz with Epidote

specimen number:
8311242

location:
Hongxizhen, Meigu Co., Liangshan Yi, Sichuan, China

description:
Glassy gemmy colorless crystals of quartz, the prominent crystal double terminated and 6.5 cm in length, on a matrix of lustrous green epidote crystals. This is in really good condition. Complete all around with no points of attachment. This was likely collected around the year 2005.

Hongxizhen, located in Meigu County within the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China, is a high-altitude locality famous for world-class epidote and quartz specimens. Geologically, the deposit is characterized by Alpine-type fissure veins hosted within metamorphic rocks, where hydrothermal activity allowed for the growth of exceptional crystals in open cavities. The epidote from this site is renowned for its deep, pistachio-green to nearly black color, occurring as highly lustrous, elongated prismatic crystals that often exhibit excellent transparency and complex terminations. These are frequently found in aesthetic association with "byne" or "needle" quartz and occasionally prehnite, with the quartz often appearing as slender, transparent crystals that provide a striking contrast to the dark epidote. Historically, the locality gained international prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s as local collectors and miners began bringing these aesthetic specimens to the global market. There is no large-scale industrial mining at Hongxizhen; instead, the site is worked intermittently by local residents using manual methods to recover specimens from the rugged, mountainous terrain. Today, Hongxizhen epidote is considered among the finest in the world, rivaling classic European Alpine localities in both crystal size and luster.

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